cauca Archives - Toward Freedom

On August 20, the government of Colombian President Gustavo Petro launched the first Unified Command Post for Life (PMU), in the municipality of Caldono, in the Cauca department / credit: Alfonso Prada / Twitter

Colombian Government Launches Initiative for Protection of Social Leaders

Peoples Dispatch August 26, 2022 Peoples Dispatch

Colombian Interior Minister Alfonso Prada reported the protection plan will cover the 65 municipalities hardest hit by violence in the country, reports People's Dispatch.

Clara Ines Yalanda, 36, in front of the house in an informal settlement in Popayan, Colombia, where she lives with her 4-year-old daughter, Valentina. Fifteen people live in the house, including Ines's parents, her brothers and sisters, and their children / credit: Antonio Acascio

What Petro & Hernández Offer Colombia’s Urban Poor As They Head Off in the Second-Round Presidential Election

Natalia Torres Garzon June 17, 2022 Natalia Torres Garzon

Sunday’s second-round presidential election in Colombia could transform the lives of residents in informal settlements, which make up 65 percent of housing in the country's cities. Former-militant-turned-politician Gustavo Petro and millionaire businessman Rodolfo Hernández approach the country's urban housing crisis and environmental policy in different ways, reports Natalia Torres Garzon with photography by Antonio Cascio.

Left-wing candidate Gustavo Petro (bottom left on the mic) addressing a crowd in Colombia / credit: Gustavo Petro

Colombian Presidential Candidate Gustavo Petro May Clinch a Win for the Left—But Will He Seek the Support of Afro-Descendant Francia Márquez?

Julie Varughese March 13, 2022 Julie Varughese

Many say the upcoming Colombian presidential election looks to be the most consequential in decades. Everyone Toward Freedom spoke to agreed militant-turned-politician Gustavo Petro is the strongest candidate on the left. But what role can Afro-descendant presidential candidate Francia Márquez play in building out a popular base of support for left-wing politics in conservative Colombia? TF Editor Julie Varughese reports.