Anti-government protests resume in Colombia

Anti-government protesters in Colombia have once again taken to the streets, violently clashing with security forces, even as President Ivan Duque calls for dialog.

Protests were held in the Colombian capital, Bogota, where a 17-year-old boy was seriously injured in the clashes with security forces on Saturday.

Local media reports said the victim was hit in the head by a tear gas canister as security forces were attempting to disperse a crowd in the city center.

Three people have already been killed since the wave of protests started on Thursday.

Three dead as Colombia’s anti-govt. protests turn violent

Three people were killed following Thursday protest marches across Colombia, the defense minister says.

On that day, more than 200,000 Colombians marched nationwide against plans for pension and labor reforms, alleged corruption, and crime.

Some of the protests turned violent, prompting the authorities to declare a curfew for the night to Saturday.

Normalcy then appeared to have returned to the capital, but pot-banging events and other rallies were held again in the metropolitan area as the curfew was lifted. Protests were also reported in the cities of Cali and Bucaramanga.

In Santander de Quilichao, a bomb attack at a police station left three officers dead on Friday night. The attack, which regional authorities attributed to dissidents from the former guerrilla movement FARC, was not believed to be directly related to the protests.

Meanwhile, Duque said he would on Sunday begin a “national dialog” to address the protesters’ demands.

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