More than 3000 pregnant Colombian women have zika

After meeting with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos at the White House, Obama announced additional funding and other measures he said would help Colombia rebuild after reaching a peace accord with the Marxist rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. “For many Colombians directly affected by the conflict, “Plan Colombia” is shorthand for a war without quarter”, said Gimena Sanchez of the Washington Office on Latin America.

The president said the government will try to fight mosquitos across the country by fumigating and helping families rid their homes of stagnant water. He also said if the peace deal to end the 50-plus-year civil conflict between the Colombian government and the rebel group is reached, then any such concerns about Islamic extremist groups would be moot.

The aid includes more than $390 million in foreign assistance.

“Just as the United States has been Colombia’s partner in a time of war”, President Obama said at the White House during the visit of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.

“Colombia is one of the countries in the world that is most contaminated by landmines”.

“After half a century of wrenching conflict, the time has come for peace”, Obama said at a White House reception for Santos.

There also could be up to 1,000 cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome, Santos said, which is a rare but serious condition that can cause paralysis and which some governments have linked to Zika.

“Practically a third of our national territory was controled by paramilitaries”.

“They recognise that they have financed themselves through drug trafficking, or taxing the drug traffickers”. “In Colombia today, there is hope”.

“We were very close to being declared a failed state”, Santos said. But with long-standing allegations of collusion between US-backed leaders and right-wing militias, declassification is likely to be deeply contentious inside Obama’s administration.

Some are calling on the United States to go further, by examining the legacy of Plan Colombia and its own role in Colombia’s long and dirty war.

He added: “We have to continue and persevere”.

Peace negotiations have received mixed reactions from Colombians.

Bernard Aronson, the US special envoy to the talks, said the USA would consider removing the FARC once it has renounced violence, given up weapons and ceased hostile actions toward American citizens and interests – but not before. “I suspect most of those are privileged and would not happen, but we’ll have to wait and see what kind of requests are made”.