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Protests in Cali: A total of at least 44 people have died in demonstrations in Colombia since April
Photo: JOAQUIN SARMIENTO / AFP
The death toll in the city of Cali has risen to at least six after a night of protest in Colombia.
This was reported by the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo.
"RCN Radio" reported seven deaths in connection with the protests.
According to information from the AFP news agency, at least ten people were killed in the demonstrations on Friday - it cites information from the city administration.
Duque announced tripling the stake
Colombian President Iván Duque tightened the order for the security forces in the city of Cali and the Valle del Cauca department, the epicenter of the protests, on Friday evening.
"This mission will nearly triple our capacity across the province in less than 24 hours," said Duque, who had traveled to the city southwest of Bogotá.
On Saturday night, he expanded the measure to seven other departments.
On Friday, four people were killed in armed clashes over the street blocks, which have been affecting the mobility of residents and the supply of the city for days.
Since the end of April there have been numerous protests and riots in various cities in the South American country.
So far, at least 44 people have died in connection with the protests, many as a result of police violence and most of them in Cali, according to the national ombudsman's office.
Demonstrations began with protests against tax reform
Initially, the demonstrators had protested against a tax reform that has since been withdrawn.
The resistance to a - now also rejected - health care reform and the commitment to the unstable peace process were some of the new goals.
Colombia is currently recovering from more than 50 years of civil war in which 220,000 people have died.
In 2016 the Colombian government made peace with the FARC guerrillas.
The economy experienced an upswing, tourism boomed - but the peace is fragile, the police violence is a setback.
ime / dpa / AFP
