LatinNews Daily - 25 January 2024

*Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro has said that his government is considering seeking international assistance as it struggles with forest fires. Petro said that there are currently over 500 active fires in the country, mostly in the central departments of Cundinamarca, Boyacá, and Santander, and that 60 municipalities are experiencing low water levels. Writing on social media yesterday, Petro said that he will issue a decree declaring a natural disaster in order to mobilise resources to tackle the fires, and that “if the installed capacity is not sufficient we will ask for international assistance”. He blamed the fires on years of deforestation in Colombia’s Caribbean region, which he said had led to a reduction in air humidity.