Thousands of rural Colombians continue to be displaced from their homes by murder, rape, and general violence. And, says a new release from the International Committee of the Red Cross, the issue has been overlooked, in large part due to a presidential campaign that is now in full swing. As with other reports on the serious issue of displacement in Colombia, the South and Pacific Coast are the areas most affected. In the last year alone, the ICRC says they have documented some 800 violations of international humanitarian law, including 28 cases of homicide, 61 direct attacks against civilians, and 84 instances of people disappearing in connection with the ongoing armed conflict. In total, some 3.3 million individuals have been displaced by violence in the country – one of the highest figures anywhere in the world.
As Reuters reports, presidential favorite and former defense minister Juan Manuel Santos, has promised to continue the security policies of his former boss, Alvaro Uribe, which while successful in lowering urban violence, have shifted the conflict to the country’s rural hinterlands where state presence and basic services remain almost non-existent.
A piece in Colombia’s Semana is worth a look for more information on Santos’s surging challenger, Antanas Mockus who, according to a recent poll, is now in a statistical dead heat with the former defense minister. Specifically, the piece looks at the possibility of an alliance between Mockus’s Partido Verde and the more left-leaning, anti-Uribista Polo Democrático. Gustavo Petro, presidential candidate for the Polo, has in the past accused Mockus of being a “neoliberal” for his support of free market policies and position on certain labor issues. For his part, Mockus has thus far successfully portrayed himself as neither uribista nor anti-uribista, focusing instead on ideals like transparency and legality. In a potential second round, however, Mockus may be forced to choose sides – a choice which could alienate those in the center who have supported his candidacy thus far or those on the left whose backing he may need to defeat Santos and form an effective government.
Finally out of Colombia, El Espectador reports that the first 1400 victims of paramilitary violence will, 60 months after the demobilization of the Autodefensas, begin receiving reparations under the Peace and Justice Law.
To other stories this morning:
· Mexican President Felipe Calderon joined other top Mexican officials in condemning the controversial Arizona immigration law passed last week which makes being an illegal immigrant a crime. According to Calderon, the law “opens the door to intolerance, hate, discrimination and abuse in law enforcement.” The Washington Post quotes Calderon also calling the law a “violation of human rights.” OAS Sec. General José Miguel Insulza also denounced the legislation yesterday. “We consider the bill clearly discriminatory against immigrants, and especially against immigrants from Latin America,” Insulza commented from El Salvador. And some say trade ties and border cooperation could be threatened by the measure at a moment when the US and Mexico have sought closer ties in the cross-border struggle against drug cartels.
· Two more OAS-related notes. First, in Nicaragua, Infolatam reports the country’s Vice Chancellor, Manuel Coronel Kautz said Monday “there is no reason” to have the OAS act as a mediator in the current crisis which pits the ruling FSLN against opposition lawmakers. Last week Sec. General Insulza expressed his worries about the situation in Nicaragua – a statement which led to the government issuing a communiqué to Insulza asking that he not involve himself in the internal affairs of the country. And, second, in Honduras, Sec. General Insulza said he was in favor of bringing Honduras back into the OAS. He also announced an Inter-American Human Rights Commission delegation would be dispatched to the country in May to help in the investigation of journalist murders. Specifically, the OAS seeks to determine whether or not the killings are politically motivated or related to the journalists' work.
· Also on Honduras, Honduras Culture and Politics has an early press release on Honduran opinions of democracy and government institutions from the Vanderbilt-based Latin American Public Opinion Project. The LAPOP will be producing a full report later this year.
· In Peru, the AP reports on criticism which has erupted over the naming of a police chief – currently facing homicide charges in relation to last year’s Bagua massacre – to the Interior Ministry’s human rights commission. Police General Luis Muguruza is the individual in question. And according to human rights lawyer, Gloria Cano, should Muguruza’s appointment to the commission go through, he would be “leading his own defense in court.”
· Infolatam also previews upcoming Peruvian elections. Municipal elections are set for October 3 while a presidential vote is scheduled for 2011. And, says Infolatam, the two “old ghosts”—corruption and fujimorismo—are finding their way back on to the political stage.
· Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega has been extradited to France from the United States where he will stand trial on money laundering charges. More from the Miami Herald which says the extradition effectively ends the drug trafficking case against Mr. Noriega.
· The Wall Street Journal says there are new worries that Brazil’s economy may be “overheating.” The country’s stellar recovery amidst the global financial crisis now has the central bank contemplating a series of interest-rate increases, according to financial analysts, in an effort to hold inflation at bay. The paper writes: “Brazil's predicament underscores how the fortunes of emerging and developed markets are diverging. The International Monetary Fund forecasts that "advanced economies" will expand by 2.25% in 2010 and by 2.5% in 2011, after a decline of more than 3% last year. Growth in emerging markets and developing countries is projected to be above 6.25% a year in the same period, following more modest growth of 2.5% last year.”
· A handful of reports today on Venezuela focus on recent statements by President Hugo Chavez. 1. Chavez calls a US Defense Dept. report on Iranian Qods Forces being present in Venezuela a “disgrace” and “totally false.” 2. Chavez accuses US of “electronic warfare” via Colombia after Venezuelan intelligence allegedly detected the presence of a plane in Venezuelan airspace. 3. Chavez announces a 40% increase in the annual salary of Venezuelan soldiers.
· The Christian Science Monitor looks at the issue of Iran, China, and Russia increasing their presence in Latin America.
· BBC Mundo reports that an Ecuadorian court has issued an arrest warrant against Colombian presidential candidate, Juan Manuel Santos. Santos ordered the raid of a FARC camp in Ecuadorian territory in 2008. Last week, in a televised debate, he said he was proud of having authorized the military strike and would have no problem doing it again.
· Finally today, check out a new podcast at Just the Facts recapping last week’s major stories from Nicaragua, Colombia, Mexico and more.
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