Colombian authorities say that three of 21 drug trafficking suspects arrested Feb. 8 are closely linked to Joaquin Guzmán AKA "El Chapo" (Sinaloa Cartel), Mexico's most wanted drug lord. The alleged drug traffickers—all wanted for extradition by the US—were arrested following "Operation Frontiers," a joint US-Colombian operation. The suspects allegedly oversaw air trafficking of Colombian cocaine, and some are professional pilots. They are believed to belong to trafficking organizations "Loco Barrera," "Los Mellizos" and "Los Rastrojos."

Bolivian President Evo Morales was sworn in for a second five-year term on Jan. 22, pledging to open a new era for indigenous peoples in his nation. The formal swearing-in at the capital La Paz was preceded a day earlier by a traditional indigenous ceremony at the ancient Kalasasaya temple in the ruined pre-Inca city of Tiwanaku. (RIA-Novosti, Jan. 22)

On Feb. 4, US District Judge Kenneth Marra in West Palm Beach, Fla., ruled that a lawsuit against banana giant Chiquita Brands brought by the families of North American missionaries kidnapped and killed by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) will not be dismissed.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez on Jan. 31 poked fun at Colombia's expulsion of a Venezuelan soldier accused of carrying out an operation in Colombian territory, saying "only people like Rambo or the Terminator undertake solo missions." Sgt. Juan Gómez of the Venezuelan National Guard was expelled from Colombia for "reasons of national security" Jan. 27, the same day that Colombia said that a Venezuelan helicopter violated its airspace.

Plan Colombia, the US financial and military aid program to fight drug trafficking and guerrillas, is not mentioned in the 2011 budget proposal that President Barack Obama sent to Congress. According to JustF.org, Colombia will receive $228 million in military aid, 20% less than it received in 2009. Economic aid will slightly be diminished and is proposed to be set at $239 million. Colombia still remains the largest US aid recipient in South America.

The Colombian Air Force denied Jan. 31 that its planes had bombed the indigenous Embera Katío community of Alto Guayabal in the Urabá region early that morning, leaving four wounded. But the following day, the army's Seventh Division issued a statement taking responsibility for the air-strike, saying they took place in operations against the FARC rebels. Calling the casualties "lamentable," the statement said two of the injured were evacuated to Medellín. The Indigenous Organization of Antioquia (OIA) said one of the casualties was an infant. Indigenous leader William Carupia accused the army of "indiscriminately bombing the communities." (El Tiempo, Bogotá, Feb. 2; El Colombiano, Medellín, RNV, Venezuela, AFP, Feb. 1) Last year the FARC was accused of assassinating Embera residents in the region.

Tens of thousands of Venezuelans opposed to Hugo Chávez took to the streets of Caracas Jan. 23, blaming him for numerous problems in the country, including increased electricity blackouts, water rationing, and widespread crime. The rallies coincided with the 52nd anniversary of the uprising that toppled Venezuela's last dictator (Marcos Pérez Jiménez). (AlJazeera, Jan. 23).

Venezuelan authorities backed by soldiers closed a total of 70 of retail outlets for price-gouging after a currency devaluation that triggered a frenzy of shopping but met with favor by international markets. Among the outlets ordered temporarily closed are at least two supermarkets belonging to a Colombian retailer controlled by France's Casino group. President Hugo Chávez announced the devaluation last week, cutting the exchange rate of the bolivar against the dollar by half for oil income and goods deemed nonessential.