Haiti’s new government ousted embattled national police chief Frantz Elbe, who critics — including the police union — say has failed to protect officers from gang violence. Nearly two dozen police officers have been killed so far this year, overwhelmed by the country’s powerful, better-equipped gangs that control most of Port-au-Prince. The most recent killings targeted three officers from a newly formed anti-gang tactical unit who were on patrol in an armored vehicle, reports the Associated Press.
Police officers reported late pay, insufficient training, workplace harassment, dismissal threats, knife and gunshot injuries and equipment shortages - including of weapons, ammunition, shields and vehicles, according to a survey conducted by the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH).
Elbe “spent his whole time establishing relationships with the gangs, reinforcing the gangs and preventing cops from doing their job and risking their lives, according to" RNDDH director Pierre Esperance. (Reuters)
Former chief Normil Rameau will replaced Elbe. Rameau served as police chief under slain Presiden Jovenel Moïse, and was fired in 2020, after Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe accused him of being incompetent and not producing results at a time when gangs were seizing control of more territory.
Haiti Libre calls the appointment surprising, as Rameau “had been dismissed for having failed to guarantee security … Let's remember, while he was leading the PNH, it was at this time that Jimmy Chérisier aka 'Barbecue' openly brought together gangs in a coalition called 'G9 family and allies'.”
More Haiti
Up to 40% of Haiti’s gang members are children, according to Unicef. Ayibo Post collected testimonies from several children recruited by gangs.
“Despite the efforts of national and international organizations, the plight of children displaced by violence in Haiti persists. Stripped of their social needs, education, and a healthy environment, especially evident in refugee camps like Lycée Marie Jeanne High School, these children yearn to return home and resume their education. This reality deeply concerns parents about their children's future,” says The Haitian Times. (Via the Americas Migration Brief.)
Brazil
About 10,000 demonstrators in São Paulo on Saturday protested against a bill in Brazil’s Congress that would equate abortions after 22 weeks of pregnancy to homicide and establish sentences of six to 20 years in prison. The bill would also apply in cases of rape, reports Reuters. But “critics say those who seek an abortion so late are mostly child rape victims, as their pregnancies tend to be detected later,” reports the Associated Press.
Colombia
“Colombia's lower house on Friday approved a pension reform proposed by President Gustavo Petro, marking a victory for the leftist, who has struggled to get lawmaker approval for several of his cornerstone promises,” reports Reuters.
Migration
“Some shelters south of the U.S. border are caring for many more migrants now that the Biden administration stopped considering most asylum requests, while others have yet to see much of a change,” reports the Associated Press.
The New Yorker and The Atlantic both highlight the economic and demographic importance of immigration for the U.S. (Via the Americas Migration Brief.)
Ecuador
Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa plans to recommence oil drilling on Indigenous lands protected by a landmark legal ruling obtained by Waorani Indigenous activists. ”He’ll see what it means when a Waorani warrior makes up her mind. He’ll feel the strength of Ecuador’s Indigenous nations defending their homes,” promises Nemonte Nenquimo, co-founder of Amazon Frontlines, in a Guardian op-ed.
“A landslide in Ecuador killed at least six people and left 19 others injured, amid a heavy rainstorm that battered parts of Central and South America” on Sunday, reports Reuters.
Regional Relations
The significant rise in support for the far right in the European Parliament’s elections could “lead to shifts in trade policies, development aid and cooperation initiatives. The new Parliament could potentially affect the flow of resources to Latin American nations to support stringent human rights, democratic and environmental standards in the region,” argues Solange Márquez Espinoza in Americas Quarterly.
Argentine Security Minister Patricia Bullrich visited El Salvador’s massive Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo in El Salvador, the mega jail that has come to represent President Nayib Bukele’s crackdown on street gangs, reports EFE. (See also Associated Press.)
Argentina
Violence at protests against Argentine President Javier Milei’s economic deregulation bill, last week in Buenos Aires, was suspiciously previous to actual protesters’ presence outside the country’s Congress, according to investigative journalist Raúl Kollman in Página 12. He argues infiltrators carried out violent attacks as part of police efforts to prevent another massive demonstration against the government. (See last Thursday’s post.)
More than 30 people were arbitrarily detained in relation to last week’s protests in Buenos Aires, those arrested include street vendors and people walking in the area, according to CELS.
Venezuela
Venezuela’s Maduro government has cracked down on citizens providing ordinary services — from food to transportation — to opposition leader María Corina Machado on the presidential campaign trail, reports the New York Times.
Cuba
Armed robberies, murders and street fights are reportedly occurring more frequently in Cuba, long renowned for its public security, reports El País.