Author Archives: Bram Ebus

Before all the lockdowns and flight restrictions in Latin America, we went to the Guiana Shield region and worked on the following project: https://mercurio.infoamazonia.org/ In this investigation, we dive into the underworld of mercury. The mercury trade remains in the shadows of the gold industry, but few people know that mercury itself represents a multi-millionContinue reading “Mercury: Chasing the Quicksilver”

In the Colombian capital’s poor neighbourhoods, staying indoors to comply with a national COVID-19 lockdown is a luxury many cannot afford. Read my article for The New Humanitarian.

Geography, economics and migration patterns dictate that Colombia and Venezuela, which severed diplomatic ties in 2019, will confront the coronavirus pandemic together. The two countries should temporarily mend their relations, and the Venezuelan factions should pause their duel, to allow for a coordinated humanitarian response. Read our latest briefing for International Crisis Group.

As Venezuela’s economy plumbs the depths of collapse, a new cohort of refugees is trekking across parched landscapes to Colombia. It consists of the most vulnerable, including poor expectant mothers, unaccompanied children and the sick, people with no defence against the predations of armed bands. Read my commentary for International Crisis Group.

Resource conflicts and the management and protection of Venezuela’s natural heritage are not only important from a conservation angle—they are the key to achieving a sustainable political solution and unlocking Venezuela’s future. Read my commentary for Washington Office on Latin America.

Tensions are rising on the Colombia-Venezuela border after a new guerrilla faction opted out of Colombia’s 2016 peace deal. With diplomatic ties between the two countries severed, the risk of escalation is high. Bogotá and Caracas should open channels of communication to avoid inter-state clashes. Read our new briefing for International Crisis Group.

The frontier between Brazil and its crisis-ridden neighbour Venezuela has become a major migration route, a hotspot for crime and a flashpoint for violence. This is the first of three commentaries on Venezuela’s troubled borderlands. Read my commentary for International Crisis Group.

De moeizaam afgedwongen vrede tussen de Colombiaanse regering en de Farc-rebellen wankelt. In delen van het land laait het geweld weer op. Maar de strijders van Quintín Lame hebben de wapens wél begraven. Lees mijn artikel voor De Groene Amsterdammer.

Diep in de jungle van Venezuela wordt goud onder erbarmelijke omstandigheden gedolven en het land uit gesmokkeld. Met een internationaal onderzoeksteam brachten wij de smokkel in kaart. Ook Nederland speelde een rol. Vandaag lanceren we ons platform: The Smugglers’ Paradise. Lees ons artikel voor De Correspondent. Update.

Together with more than 10 journalists from different countries I worked as chief investigator and writer on this journalistic collaboration. This is a project from InfoAmazonia, De Correspondent, Correo del Caroní, RunRunes and Miami Herald. Visit our interactive website here.