Key Latin American U.S. ally and the region’s fourth-largest oil producer Colombia finds itself rocked by anti-government protests which are now into their third week. This has even reignited fears of renewed civil war in the strife-torn Andean country. Colombia’s anti-government protests began with a national strike on 28 April 2021 called by various civil society and trade union groups in response to President Duque’s proposed tax reform. A massive fiscal black hole where the budget deficit had reached nearly 9% of GDP is ratcheting up pressure on the cash-strapped national government in Bogota. The bill, which was seeking additional government revenue of $6.4 billion, if approved by Congress would have significantly elevated the tax burden for many Colombians and businesses already reeling under the substantial economic fallout from the pandemic. Even after Duque withdrew the bill the anti-government protests expanded in response to the use of heavy-handed tactics […]