24 dead 800 injured in Colombia protests

At least 24 people, including a police officer, have died 800 have been injured, 80 are listed as missing and 2000 arrested since the protests in Colombia began. The UN has urged the security forces to refrain from using firearms.

The police were believed to be responsible for at least 11 of those deaths, Colombia’s ombudsman said.

Bogotá’s city officials said 25 immediate response police commando posts, known as CAI ad been attacked during the night. CAI are small police stations dotted across neighborhoods.

One CAI was set on fire with 15 officers inside, who managed to escape alive said Bogotá Mayor Claudia López There were also reports of police being shot and being attacked by people with knives, she added.

On Wednesday, city officials said the night of violence across Bogotá had left 30 civilians and 16 police officers injured. Incidents were also reported in other cities including Cali, where the clashes have been at their most violent.

The cause

The demonstrations started on  April 28 and were initially in opposition to the tax reform that the government said was key to mitigating the country’s economic crisis.

The rallies were organized by the biggest trade unions but were also joined by many middle-class people who feared the changes could see them slip into poverty. Almost half of the country’s population now lives in poverty, with inequalities exacerbated by the pandemic.

The proposal would have lowered the threshold at which salaries are taxed, affecting anyone with a monthly income of 2.6m pesos ($684)or more. It would also have eliminated many of the current exemptions enjoyed by individuals, as well as increasing taxes imposed on businesses.

On Sunday, President Iván Duque announced he would withdraw the bill. But that was not enough to stop the protests, which have become a broad call for improvements to Colombia’s pension, health and education systems, as well as against what demonstrators say is excessive use of violence by the security forces.

Sme of the most violent incidents have been reported in the western city of Cali, the country’s third-largest. Roads have been blocked and dozens of police, public and private buildings attacked. The commander of the army has been sent to the city to co-ordinate the security efforts.