Journal of Haiti and the Americas

Colombia: for new President Petro, "peace is the only way out" with armed groups

Audio 7:30 p.m.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro raises his fist during his inaugural speech in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, August 7, 2022. AP - Fernando Vergara

By: Marion Cazanove

3 mins

The country's first leftist president was sworn in yesterday (August 7, 2022).

Gustavo Petro comes to power with many promises, including peace with armed groups and the fight against corruption and inequality.

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In front of tens of thousands of people, Gustavo Petro spoke on Sunday August 7, 2022, for his inaugural speech.

Unsurprisingly, he appealed to armed groups to sign the peace.

The head of state is himself an ex-guerrilla.

However, it will be necessary to wait a little before seeing an appeasement, according to Angelica Montes-Montoya, doctor of Philosophy and specialist in Latin America, guest of RFI: " 

 ”.

Gustavo Petro will take up what his predecessor, Ivan Duque, had abandoned: the 2016 peace agreements: " 

", says the specialist.

Another promise of Gustavo Petro: the fight against inequality and corruption.

Three reforms are planned, around taxation, health and the police.

Tax reform is " 

 ", according to Angelica Montes-Montoya, because 12% of the Colombian population is in a state of extreme poverty.

" 

".

A reform eagerly awaited by the thousands of demonstrators who pounded the pavement last year against the tax increase planned by former President Ivan Duque.

The coming to power of the former guerrilla also confirms the swing, in Latin America, of many countries to the left.

Colombia could thus change its diplomatic strategy, in particular getting closer to Venezuela.

For Angelica Montes-Montoya,

", since trade has always been important between the two countries.

United States: Senate votes on health and climate reform

The American president welcomed the adoption of his major health and climate reform, the “Inflation Reduction Act”.

Voted yesterday (August 7, 2022) in the Senate, it still has to pass before the other chamber of Parliament, the House of Representatives.

This law is historic because never have investments been so significant in the fight against climate change.

It provides 430 billion dollars of investments, therefore 370 billion dollars for the climate.

The adoption of this reform is also a victory for Joe Biden, 3 months before the mid-term elections.

Cuba: a fire ravages an oil depot

Lightning struck a first reservoir on Friday evening (August 5, 2022), causing a major fire in this depot, located 100 kilometers from the capital Havana.

Firefighters have still not managed to control the disaster, worse, a new explosion took place on Sunday evening (August 7).

Three tanks are now affected, at least one person is dead, more than one hundred and twenty others are injured and 17 firefighters are missing according to local press.

The massive blaze comes as the island has been short of fuel for months, and doesn't have enough oil to fuel its aging power plants.

The repeated power cuts provoked several demonstrations this summer, and last year (2021) sparked the biggest social movement in the country since the 1959 revolution.

And on the front page of the Journal de la 1ère 

Black sea urchins, also called Oursins Diadème, are struck by a strange disease in Guadeloupe.

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