Colombia military chief resigns

General Mora: End of a long military career

The head of Colombia's military has announced he is stepping down - the latest in a series of high-level changes in the country's government.

General Jorge Enrique Mora said he had requested retirement last month.

Nevertheless, his departure follows that of President Alvaro Uribe's key defence and interior ministers, as well as the police chief.

Mr Uribe's drive to reform the economy and crack down on leftist rebels has run into resistance.

On 25 October, voters rejected wide-ranging reform proposals in a nationwide referendum.

'Limited experience'

Last week, Defence Minister Martha Lucia Ramirez and Interior and Justice Minister Fernando Londono handed in their resignations.

Mr Uribe has since replaced them with close allies from the business world with limited political experience.

The housing minister, Cecilia Rodriguez, stood down on Tuesday.

Mr Londono, seen as Mr Uribe's right-hand man, caused a row by suggesting the president might cut short his term in office and call early elections.

The president invested much of his time in promoting the referendum - which dealt with issues ranging from trimming back parliament to getting new funds to fight the drug trade and the militants - and many saw it as a vote of confidence in his administration.

The rash of political resignations has been accompanied by a series of corruption scandals which have cost the jobs of the head of police, Teodoro Campo, who resigned, and the Medellin police chief, Leonardo Gallego, who was sacked.