Colombia: Cali, the epicenter of the government repression, faces food, petrol and services shortage
“Colombia protests: Shortages in Cali as demonstrations rumble on”, 13 May 2021
...Cali, in any case, is paralysed. Everyday life has been affected by the blockades and petrol shortages: if you need a plumber or someone to fix your internet connection, you are going to have to wait for days, or even weeks. Most shops are shuttered and their doors have been sprayed with anti-government graffiti...Cali's Mayor Jorge Iván Ospina said it was vital that supplies be allowed through without any hold-ups. "Some supplies or limited supplies are not enough," he said about the agreement with protesters blocking the roads to let some delivery trucks pass...The city depended on food from neighbouring regions to feed its residents, he explained. Traders at one market said there was a shortage of potatoes while those at another market said they had received a delivery but at a price 30% higher than usual. Mayor Ospina said Wednesday's protests in Cali had been peaceful and praised participants for their restraint...Mayor Ospina said on Wednesday that he had met victims of the clashes in Siloé and that he would ensure that the issue would be taken to "the highest courts of justice"...He also had a meeting with members of indigenous groups who joined the protests last week. In another violent incident in the city, eight indigenous people were injured when unidentified gunmen in civilian clothes fired at the roadblock they were manning...