1. Government signs emergency tax decree to plug widening fiscal deficit

Colombia’s political class woke up on December 21 digesting news of a sweeping emergency tax decree designed to tackle a worsening fiscal gap after Congress rejected President Gustavo Petro’s tax reform earlier in the month. Local media, summarized by Bloomberg, reported that the decree had been signed on Thursday and filed on Friday, with Interior Minister Armando Benedetti confirming that it focused on taxing the wealthy and large fortunes to raise fresh revenue. Finance Minister Germán Ávila said the government aimed to collect about 16 trillion pesos (roughly 4.2 billion dollars), a substantial sum intended to reassure markets and ratings agencies watching Colombia’s debt trajectory. The measure, issued under an economic emergency framework, immediately raised questions about its constitutionality and the likely response from the Constitutional Court, which has historically been cautious about broad use of emergency powers in fiscal policy.

The decree marks a critical escalation in Petro’s confrontational approach with Congress, signaling that the government is unwilling to let legislative resistance derail its fiscal plans or its promise to expand social spending. For investors and business leaders, the focus on high‑income individuals and large taxpayers is both politically understandable and a cause for concern about tax uncertainty and capital flight. Unions and social movements, by contrast, have been more inclined to see the move as a necessary correction after years in which adjustment costs fell disproportionately on middle‑ and lower‑income Colombians. As of December 21, the country was bracing for a legal and political battle that will unfold in early 2026: whether the Court will uphold the decree, whether Congress will try to reassert control over tax policy, and how the measure will affect Colombia’s reputation for macroeconomic prudence just as it seeks to attract investment in energy transition, infrastructure, and tourism.

2. Earth tremors in Huila rattle southwestern Colombia

On the morning of December 21, a magnitude 4.6 earthquake shook Neiva, the capital of Huila department, roughly 315 kilometers southwest of Bogotá, according to the Colombian Geological Service (SGC). The tremor, at a depth of about 34 kilometers, was felt not only in Neiva but also in nearby cities including Garzón, Armenia, Ibagué, Cali, Popayán, and Florencia, as well as other municipalities across central and southwestern Colombia. Prensa Latina Local media reported brief moments of alarm as residents left buildings and monitored social networks and official channels for damage reports. The SGC’s data indicated a typical intraplate event rather than a major tectonic rupture, but its relatively shallow depth helped explain why the shaking was widely perceived even at modest magnitude.

The 4.6 quake was followed by two smaller tremors later that morning: a magnitude 3.1 event near San José del Palmar in Chocó at 9:36 a.m., and a 2.6‑magnitude quake in Murindó, Antioquia at 10:10 a.m. None of the events triggered serious damage or casualties, but together they reminded Colombians of the country’s complex seismic reality—spanning the Andean, Pacific, and Caribbean zones. In departments like Huila, where urban expansion and informal construction have sometimes outpaced enforcement of building codes, even moderate shaking raises concerns about vulnerability. Civil defense authorities used the occasion to reiterate preparedness messages, and the sequence fed into broader discussions about disaster‑risk management at the end of a year marked by climate‑related hazards and infrastructure stress. For a country that still holds vivid memories of destructive quakes, the December 21 tremors were a wake‑up call rather than a tragedy.

3. ELN announces unilateral holiday ceasefire after deadly clashes

In a significant development for Colombia’s long conflict, the National Liberation Army (ELN) announced on December 21 that it would observe a unilateral ceasefire over the Christmas and New Year holidays. According to AFP reporting from Bogotá, the guerrilla group’s leadership ordered all its members “not to carry out offensive military operations against the state armed forces” from December 24 through January 3, describing the move as a seasonal gesture and an “abrupt shift” from recent deadly attacks on the military. Namibia Press Agency Just days earlier, the Colombian army had reported that seven soldiers were killed in clashes with the ELN, underscoring that hostilities were very much alive despite intermittent dialogue and ceasefire efforts. The announcement thus landed as both a respite and a test: whether fronts in different regions would obey, and how the security forces would calibrate their operations during the pause.

The Christmas ceasefire sits at the intersection of insurgent signaling and political negotiation. For the government, it offers an opportunity to reduce violence in conflict‑affected territories and to demonstrate to communities that “total peace” remains on the agenda, despite setbacks and internal divisions. For the ELN, the unilateral nature of the announcement allows it to project initiative and humanitarian concern without committing to a broader settlement; it can claim the moral high ground if state forces are perceived to violate the spirit of the truce. Civil society organizations and the Catholic Church, which have long advocated for holiday ceasefires, welcomed the move but warned that communities need more than symbolic pauses—they need lasting guarantees, de‑mining, and the dismantling of parallel armed structures. As Colombians prepared for Christmas, the ELN’s announcement injected a cautious note of hope into a conflict that has defied easy conclusions for decades.

4. “7 Days of Peace”: ceasefire framed against U.S. militarization off Colombia’s coast

Beyond the AFP dispatch, the ceasefire also featured in more explicitly political narratives. An item in the Colombia Newswire on December 21, relaying a teleSUR report, presented the ELN’s unilateral Christmas ceasefire under the banner “7 Days of Peace: ELN Christmas Ceasefire 2025 Challenges U.S. Militarization in Colombia.” This framing emphasized not only the humanitarian dimension but also the group’s opposition to increased U.S. naval operations near Colombian waters, casting the pause in hostilities as part of a broader regional de‑escalation agenda. By linking the ceasefire to criticism of U.S. military presence, the narrative positioned the ELN as a defender of national sovereignty and Latin American autonomy, even as it remains an armed non‑state actor with a history of kidnappings, bombings, and extortion. The messaging shows how ceasefires can be used as diplomatic and ideological tools, not just battlefield pauses.

For the Colombian government and its partners, this narrative complicates an already delicate balance. Bogotá depends on cooperation with Washington in areas such as counternarcotics, intelligence, and security assistance, even as it tries to distance itself from the most militarized aspects of past strategies. The ELN’s attempt to frame the ceasefire as a rebuke to U.S. militarization risks dragging peace efforts into broader geopolitical arguments that may play well in some regional forums but are less popular among Colombians weary of armed groups’ justifications. Still, the mere fact that the ceasefire is being discussed internationally—as a gesture with implications beyond Colombia’s borders—underscores how the country’s internal conflicts remain entangled with wider debates about U.S. power, regional security architectures, and the future of “war on drugs” approaches in the Americas.

5. Cartagena’s iconic horse carriages make way for electric buggies

One of the most evocative Colombia stories on December 21 came not from Bogotá but from the walled city of Cartagena, a jewel of the Caribbean and a magnet for tourists. NPR reporting that day described how the city’s iconic horse‑drawn carriages, long a symbol of romantic evenings along colonial streets, are gradually being replaced by electric buggies in the historic center. Cartagena’s Old City, encircled by thick stone walls built by the Spanish to repel pirates, has for decades sold an image of timeless charm—narrow streets, sun‑splashed plazas, and colonial mansions that attract photographers and influencers alike.KLCC+1 Carriages with large‑spoked wheels and open tops have been central to that aesthetic, their clip‑clop over the pavement part of the soundscape of the city.

The shift to electric vehicles is driven by a mix of animal‑welfare concerns, urban management, and changing expectations from visitors. Activists and residents have long criticized the conditions in which some horses were kept, especially in heat and heavy traffic; authorities, in turn, have faced pressure to modernize transport while preserving the city’s brand. The new electric buggies are designed to evoke the silhouette of traditional carriages while offering quieter, cleaner rides—appealing to tourists whose environmental awareness has grown just as much as their Instagram habits. For drivers whose livelihoods depend on tourism, the transition raises practical questions about financing new vehicles, training, and maintaining the aura of authenticity that draws customers. As of December 21, Cartagena’s experiment had become a microcosm of a broader dilemma facing heritage cities worldwide: how to adapt to 21st‑century norms without turning living streets into mere theme parks.KLCC+1

6. Nariño’s “most beautiful towns” and the politics of tourism and identity

Another tourism‑focused story circulating through Colombia‑related news feeds on December 21 spotlighted Nariño, the Andean department bordering Ecuador. A feature listed “The Most Beautiful Towns to Visit in Nariño, Colombia,” emphasizing how communities in the southern highlands preserve centuries of history, culture, and architectural charm. It painted a picture of plazas and churches framed by mountain landscapes, indigenous and mestizo traditions, and local festivals that blend Catholic and ancestral elements.EIN Presswire In a year dominated by security and fiscal headlines, such coverage offered a reminder that much of Colombia’s daily life is defined by local identities and rhythms far from big‑city politics.

Under the surface, however, these tourism narratives connect to deeper regional questions. Departments like Nariño have historically experienced armed conflict, coca cultivation, and state neglect alongside rich cultural life and cross‑border trade. Promoting “pueblos más lindos” is a way to rebrand territories that were once primarily associated with violence or illicit economies, encouraging domestic and foreign visitors to see them as destinations rather than danger zones. It also intersects with internal migration and diaspora dynamics: many Colombians living in major cities or abroad trace their roots to towns like those in Nariño, and tourism becomes a bridge for return visits, investment, and cultural reconnection. On December 21, as people planned year‑end trips, the Nariño feature served both as a travel guide and as a quiet statement that the peripheries of Colombia deserve to be known for their beauty, not just their burdens.

7. Migration, mobility, and Colombia’s regional role

Although December 21’s international coverage did not spotlight a specific new migration policy or crisis in Colombia, the country’s role in regional mobility remains a crucial backdrop to that day’s news. Colombia hosts millions of Venezuelan migrants and refugees under temporary protection schemes and has also become a transit corridor for people from across the hemisphere and beyond moving north through the Darién Gap. These dynamics shape domestic debates on employment, public services, and security, even when they are not front‑page stories on a particular date. In tourist hubs like Cartagena and in border departments such as Nariño, internal and international migration intersect: Venezuelan workers drive carriages or staff hotels; internal migrants from rural areas seek work in construction and services; emigrants return from the U.S. or Spain for the holidays, bringing remittances and new expectations.

By late 2025, Colombia was still grappling with how to balance humanitarian commitments and regional leadership with domestic pressures. The emergency tax decree, for example, sits within a fiscal context partly shaped by increased social‑spending needs in health, education, and integration programs in cities hosting large migrant populations. At the same time, Colombia’s own emigrant communities—many of them in Europe and North America—follow these developments closely, aware that fiscal stability and security affect whether they can return, invest, or send relatives back home. On December 21, even if no dramatic migration headline broke, the underlying reality was that Colombia is now a country of origin, transit, and destination all at once—a structural change that informs everything from peace processes to tourism strategies to labor‑market planning.