Manuel Rueda is a freelance journalist based in Bogota, Colombia where he has been living for the past five years. Manuel has covered the peace deal between Colombia's government and the FARC rebels, Venezuela's political crisis and how Colombia is adapting to the arrival of more than one million Venezuelan migrants. He is a dual citizen of Colombia and Venezuela and always ready to travel. Last year he also produced stories in Venezuela, Bolivia, Peru and Brazil.
In February, the US deported nearly 300 asylum-seekers to Panama. Most of the deportees had come to the US not from Panama, but from Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia, in many cases fleeing civil wars and religious persecution. In Panama, some religious institutions have taken them in.
A series of attacks against civilians has forced Colombia’s government to break off peace talks with one of Colombia’s largest rebel groups as fears mount that fighting between rebel groups in the Catatumbo region could spread to other parts of the country.
Panama has started to build a barbed-wire fence in the Darien jungle between South and Central America. The goal is to stop migrants from reaching the US. But by blocking the trails most frequently used by the migrants, the fence could reroute people on their journeys, pushing them to take dangerous detours.
Countries across Latin America are increasing their support for Palestinians as the current war between Israel and Hamas continues. Some leaders in the region have described the conflict as an uneven fight between a powerful nation and a group of people that is struggling to obtain its independence.
The Darien jungle, between North and South America, has become one of the main routes for migrants heading to the United States, with more than 520,000 people crossing just last year. Many are now documenting their migration journeys with their phones and posting videos on social media platforms. From Bogota, Manuel Rueda reports.
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