US diplomats affected: “Havana Syndrome” now also in Colombia

Status: 13.10.2021 11:43 a.m.

It first appeared in Cuba in 2016 – since then more and more cases of the mysterious “Havana Syndrome” have been reported to US diplomats. Now people have also fallen ill in the vicinity of the US embassy in Colombia’s capital Bogotá.

Cases of the so-called Havana syndrome have also occurred at the US embassy in the Colombian capital Bogotá. Colombian President Ivan Duque confirmed a corresponding report in the “Wall Street Journal”. “Of course we are aware of this situation, but I would like to leave it to the US authorities who are conducting their own investigations because they are dealing with their own personnel,” Duque said on a visit to New York.

According to the newspaper, at least five families associated with the embassy in Colombia have developed symptoms of the mysterious disease. “The US mission in Bogotá is one of the largest in the world. In addition to professional diplomats and staff, numerous intelligence agents and drug control officials are stationed there.

First cases in 2016

Havana syndrome is the term used to describe diseases of American diplomats that were first reported in the Cuban capital in 2016 and that still raise questions today. Dozens of Canadian and US diplomats and their families in Cuba suffered from health problems such as drowsiness, fatigue and headaches, as well as hearing and vision problems.

These cases did not become known until a year later, when the then US President Donald Trump dismissed most of his diplomats from Havana in response to the incidents. Then there were cases in China, Russia and the USA. In July of last year, the magazine “The New Yorker” wrote about more than 20 cases in Vienna. The “Wall Street Journal” recently reported that US diplomats in Germany were also affected.

“Targeted energy from radio waves” as the cause?

The cause of the complaints has not yet been clarified. The authorities in Canada and the USA had initially suspected mysterious “acoustic attacks”. The government in Ottawa later classified the use of an acoustic weapon as “unlikely”.

According to a report from the US National Academy of Sciences, “targeted energy from radio waves” is the most likely cause of the symptoms. The US suspect that Russia could be behind it. The government in Moscow rejected this.

US President Joe Biden signed a law on Friday to provide financial support to victims of the mysterious disease. Havana law provides financial compensation for State Department and CIA employees who have suffered brain injuries.

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