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📰 Colombia peace talks fail

📰 Colombia peace talks fail

and US intelligence shakeup

Ross Crabtree & Billy Robinson
January 22, 2025

Hello,

In the United States, Donald Trump is inaugurated for a second term, while Republican Senator Lindsey Graham calls for military strikes on Iran.

Meanwhile, in the Middle East, Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party exits the ruling coalition over the Gaza ceasefire, and a spokesman for the Houthi coalition announces a cessation of attacks on Israel.

More details below ⤵️

Top 5 Stories

1️⃣ 🇨🇴 Peace talks for Colombia’s restive northeast collapse: Over 80 people have been killed in Colombia's northeast after peace talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN) failed, according to local officials. Violence broke out between the ELN and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) factions, leaving 20 injured and forcing thousands to flee the region, particularly from the Catatumbo area near the Venezuela border. Among the victims were community leader Carmelo Guerrero and seven individuals involved in peace negotiations. The attacks followed Colombia's suspension of peace talks with the ELN for the second time in less than a year. In response, the government is sending humanitarian aid, including food and hygiene kits, to displaced people in the region.

2️⃣ 🇲🇲 🇲🇾 ASEAN puts pressure on Myanmar’s junta: Southeast Asian nations have urged Myanmar’s military government to prioritize peace over its planned election, as the country’s civil war intensifies. At a recent ASEAN ministerial retreat, Malaysia’s foreign minister, Mohamad Hasan, emphasized the need for dialogue and an immediate end to hostilities, while also advocating for unhindered humanitarian access. Myanmar's military government, represented by a low-level official, briefed ASEAN on plans to hold an election this year. However, ASEAN made it clear that peace must come first, with the election being inclusive of all stakeholders, rather than an isolated event. ASEAN also appointed a special envoy, Othman Hashim, to push for the implementation of the stalled peace plan.

3️⃣ 🇾🇪 🇮🇱 Houthi coalition to cease attacks on Israel, says spokesman: Ansarullah, or Yemen’s Houthi movement, have expressed support for the Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, with their spokesperson stating that they will suspend military operations against Israel and Red Sea commercial ships if the truce is implemented. Mohammed al-Bukhaiti told Al Jazeera on Saturday that the cessation of attacks would depend on Israel halting its actions in Gaza and the US, UK, and Israel ceasing their aggression against Yemen.

4️⃣ 🇵🇰 Imran Khan sentenced to 14 years in prison after corruption case: Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for corruption, alongside his wife, Bushra Bibi, who received a seven-year sentence. The couple was found guilty of illegally acquiring valuable plots of land worth billions of rupees through a corrupt deal with a property tycoon. The ruling was delivered by a specially convened accountability court inside Rawalpindi’s Adiala prison, where Khan has been detained since August 2023. Despite facing over 100 cases, Khan, Pakistan’s most popular political figure, claims the charges are part of a political vendetta to prevent his return to power following his removal from office in 2022.

5️⃣ 🇮🇱 🇵🇸 Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party leaves ruling coalition over Gaza ceasefire: The far-right Otzma Yehudit party has withdrawn from Israel’s governing coalition after the government agreed to a ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza. Ministers Itamar Ben Gvir, Amichai Eliyahu, and Yitzhak Wasserlauf submitted resignation letters to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, officially ending the party’s coalition membership. Ben Gvir cited ideological red lines, labeling the ceasefire a “surrender-to-terror deal” and a “victory for terrorism.” While distancing from the coalition, Otzma Yehudit stated it would not work to unseat Netanyahu but would vote independently on ideological matters.

Major Story

🇺🇸 TRUMP’S SECOND INAUGURATION

Donald Trump was sworn in for a second presidential term in Washington, DC, emphasizing a bold agenda in his inaugural speech. Declaring an end to "America’s decline," Trump vowed to restore trust, sovereignty, and economic strength, unveiling executive actions aimed at reshaping domestic and international policies. Key moves included plans to withdraw from the World Health Organization, citing its alleged mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the announcement of tariffs on Mexico and Canada, effective February 1, to address trade imbalances and border security concerns.

Trump’s foreign policy agenda also took center stage, with remarks on the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, the Abraham Accords, and a potential meeting with Vladimir Putin regarding the Ukraine conflict. Notably, he proposed renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, reflecting his vision of prioritizing U.S. interests.

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Other News

1️⃣ 🇺🇸 Trump selects Biden appointee to position of acting Director of National Intelligence: Stacey Dixon, the second-highest-ranking official in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), has been selected by the Trump transition team to temporarily serve as acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI), according to sources familiar with the decision. This move is notable as Dixon, a long-serving intelligence official, was appointed principal deputy DNI by President Joe Biden. However, Dixon was reportedly chosen over Morgan Muir, another deputy DNI, due to her perceived neutrality. Lora Shiao is expected to remain as ODNI chief operating officer, while Muir has been asked to leave and is likely to retire. Dixon will lead the ODNI until Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s nominee for DNI, undergoes Senate confirmation.

2️⃣ 🇺🇸 🇮🇷 Republican senator Lindsey Graham advocates for strikes on Iran: With a six-week ceasefire now in place in Gaza, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is urging President-elect Donald Trump to take military action against Iran’s nuclear program. Graham believes Iran is on the verge of becoming a “nuclear threshold state,” and that diplomacy will not prevent this. He advocates for military action, suggesting that there’s a 90% chance of degrading Iran's nuclear capabilities with Israel’s support. With Iran weakened by recent Israeli strikes and the U.S. withdrawal from the 2018 nuclear deal, Graham warns that failure to act against Iran would be a historic mistake, likening the situation to ‘negotiating with Hitler.’