Serious clashes in Colombia

Violent clashes broke out again in the Colombian capital Bogotá.

Fundamental reforms are called for.

Bogotá - Protesters and the police engaged in violent clashes in the Colombian capital, Bogotá.

The protesters hurled stones at the officers, the emergency services used water cannons and tear gas.

In the south of the metropolis, protesters threatened several bus drivers with knives and hijacked five buses, as reported by the television station Caracol. Bogotá's green mayor Claudia López accused the left party Colombia Humana of inciting the demonstrators to violence and causing chaos. "Neither Bogotá nor Colombia deserved this kind of destructive campaign to win the presidency," she wrote on Twitter. "Respect the citizens and the public goods."

Violent protests against the government have been going on in Colombia for months. Protesters block streets and the police sometimes use brutal action against the protesters. At least two dozen people have been killed in the riots so far. Initially, the demonstrations were directed against a controversial tax and health reform, which the conservative President Iván Duque has now cashed in again. Unionists, indigenous peoples and students are now demonstrating for fundamental reforms in the South American country. Colombia suffers from violence, poverty and great social inequality. dpa