The government of Colombian president Alvaro Uribe continues to be plagued by the parapolítica ("parapolitics") scandal, in which some 60 members of Congress have been linked to the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), a right-wing paramilitary group that is now officially demobilized. The majority of these politicians are in Uribe's governing coalition, and some are in the president's extended family. On Aug. 12 a former paramilitary, Luis Adrian Palacio ("Diomedes"), gave testimony to the Attorney General's Office linking Gen. Mario Montoya, the head of the military, to the AUC. Diomedes said that in April 2002 Montoya, who then commanded the Army's Fourth Brigade, personally delivered a "present" of six AK-47 rifles and an M-16 rifle to the AUC's Bloque Mineros. Montoya denies the charge.

Five opposition governors are declaring a strike next week in Bolivia, vowing to "radicalize" tactics after talks with President Evo Morales broke down. The governors are asking Morales to refund state shares of oil and natural gas income that his government has used to give stipends to elderly citizens. Hours after the Aug. 10 recall referendum, Morales called for regional governors (prefects) that were ratified in their posts to negotiate. Department leaders from Santa Cruz, Beni, Pando, Tarija and Chuquisaca first announced they wouldn't attend the talks at the presidential palace. On Aug. 12, holding their own meeting at Santa Cruz, the prefects capitulated and agreed to meet with the president. But talks broke down over demands for the repeal of the Direct Tax on Hydrocarbons. (AP, Prensa Latina, Aug. 15; AP, Aug. 13)

Colombia's decades-long civil war, US-backed anti-drug measures and resource-hungry multinational corporations are pushing the country's indigenous peoples towards "extinction," local leaders warn. War alone uproots 20,000 Indians from their ancestral homes each year, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Most of Colombia's 84 indigenous groups have been forced at some time to flee political violence over the past decades. "We lose our identity when we're displaced," said Luis Evelis Andrade, president of the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC). "We feel lost in the big cities and it's an alien habitat for us. Our ties and traditions are with our Mother Earth. Once we leave (our lands), our language and family structures begin to break down."

Seven people were killed and nearly 50 wounded, including several children, in the most serious Colombian terror attack this year, when a bomb hidden in a trash can exploded at Ituango, a small town in Antioquia department, as residents celebrated a festival the night of Aug. 14. Officials blamed the blast on the FARC guerillas, who they claimed were retaliating for efforts to eradicate nearby coca plantations. President Álvaro Uribe expressed his solidarity with the victims and said, "We reaffirm our iron will to defeat terrorism." (Milenio, Mexico; Ottawa Citizen, Canada, Aug. 16; AP, Aug. 15)

We've already noted that Venezuela's Hugo Chávez says he is seeking a "strategic alliance" with Russia. Now he weighs in decisively for Moscow in the Georgian crisis. VenezuelAnalysis reports Aug. 15, that upon his arrival in Paraguay the previous night for the inauguration of President Fernando Lugo, Chávez took the opportunity to accuse the US of directly intervening in Georgia. "I am almost certain that it was the president of the United States, the imperialist George Bush, who ordered the movement of the Georgian troops towards South Ossetia, killing innocent people, and with good reason Russia acted," Chávez said. He charged that the US is attempting to rein in Russia, "because this country rose up and now is a new world potential thanks to the work of ex-president Vladmir Putin."

Bolivia reached a "friendly" agreement Aug. 8 to compensate Royal Dutch Shell for its stake in the nationalized gas pipeline company Transredes. The accord was signed by Energy Minister Carlos Villegas and Shell representative Jose Maria Linardi in the presence of President Evo Morales. The amount of the deal for Shell's stake in Transredes was not divulged by officials, but reports put the sum at $120.57 million. Bolivia's state-owned YPBF now assumes a 98% stake in Transredes, with the other 2% held by private partners. "YPBF has become owner of Shell's share in Transredes at a price established by the national government," Villegas said.

The Colombian government should ensure an independent investigation into misuse of the Red Cross emblem by security forces during the July 2 hostage rescue operation, Human Rights Watch said Aug. 7. A videotape made public Aug. 4 shows a soldier wearing a vest displaying the Red Cross emblem before the operation started. In response to images shown earlier of the soldier wearing the emblem during the operation, President Álvaro Uribe had said use of the emblem was a last-minute improvisation by a soldier, and not part of the plan. The new videotape contradicts those claims, suggesting that the Red Cross was deliberately misused from the start, in violation of Protocol II to the Geneva Conventions.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez signed 26 new laws regulating the armed forces, public administration, social security system, banks, agricultural production, and the tourism industry on July 31—the final day of the 18-month period during which the National Assembly granted Chávez the power to pass laws by decree. The government says the laws seek to increase state management of "strategic" sectors and public institutions considered vital for progress toward "21st Century Socialism."