Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro sought to calm growing tensions between his country and Chile — following the February murder of a Venezuelan dissident living in Chile. Yesterday Maduro said he would like to talk directly with his Chilean counterpart, Gabriel Boric, about how to jointly combat international criminal organizations. Boric responded today that he is available. (CNN Chile)
Chilean authorities believe the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua carried out the murder of military dissident Ronald Ojeda, and that the assassination was masterminded in Venezuela with political motivations. (Associated Press, La Tercera) On Friday Boric demanded Venezuela collaborate with the investigation, particularly with the extradition of suspects in order that they face justice in Chile. He emphasized the crime will not remain impune and that Chile will take the case to international instances if necessary. (Diario las Américas, Infobae)
Last week Venezuelan foreign minister Yvan Gil said the Tren de Aragua is a fiction invented by international media, after which Boric’s administration recalled its ambassador in Caracas for consultations. (El País)
Regional Relations
“Latin America is awash in diplomatic strife,” and “diplomatic crises and bilateral tensions threaten regional integration,” reports El País.
One of the main crisis of the moment is Ecuador’s raid on Mexico’s Quito embassy. Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa defended the move, and said he’d like to invite his Mexican counterpart, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, to chat over ceviche or tacos. (El País)
The U.S. said it will not renew a license that eased oil sanctions against Venezuela unless progress is made by Maduro on commitments for free and fair elections this year. The license is set to expire Thursday. (Reuters, El País)
Russia's Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov arrived in Havana for bilateral talks with his Cuban counterpart and other officials, reports Reuters.
Argentine President Javier Milei will purchase 40-year-old used U.S. fighter jets from Denmark rather than new Chinese aircraft, a decision that signals his interest “in being appreciated as an unconditional partner of Washington and Israel,” reports El País.
Haiti
“A gutsy fellowship of Haitian reporters” are “playing a vital role in documenting” the state of siege in Port-au-Prince, despite significant personal risk, reports the Guardian. Violence has forced many outlets to move offices or drastically reduce work, and foreign correspondents face difficulties in getting to Haiti.
Mexico
The recent murder of an 8-year-old girl in Mexico, and a violent mob attack against a female neighbor implicated in the case, offers “a window into broader dynamics of violence, state neglect and impunity in Mexico and their different impacts on women and girls,” writes Gema Kloppe-Santamaría in Americas Quarterly. The episodes “underscore the urgent need to foster a gender perspective within Mexico’s justice and security apparatus, as well as recognize the state’s responsibility in the makings of this crisis.”
Colombia
A majority of the Colombia’s Estado Mayor Central guerrilla groups “have abandoned peace negotiations with the government because of internal divisions, according to a rebel leader and the head government peace negotiator,” reports Reuters. “Observers warn the fissures could worsen violence and put civilians at risk.”
Colombia’s Senate will debate President Gustavo Petro’s pension reform proposal, a brief respite from political gridlock that has his legislative agenda paralyzed, reports El País.
Chile
Chile’s Chamber of Deputies chose lawmaker Karol Cariola as president, the first time a Communist Party representative has occupied the post. (EFE)
Argentina
High inflation increased Argentina’s poverty rate to 51.8 percent in the first trimester of this year, up from from 44.9 percent at the end of 2023. (Ámbito Financiero)
Argentina’s biggest university, the public Universidad de Buenos Aires, declared itself in the midst of an economic emergency in response to drastic budget cuts by the Milei administration. (El País)
As Argentina’s Milei administration pushes for drastic structural reform, a new report by Fundar emphasizes that the key for such a move to succeed (in a country subject to structural whiplash) is consensus and long-term stability.
Culture Corner
Photographer Walter Firmo’s “lyrical, unexpected images have changed visual storytelling in Brazil. Firmo developed an unmistakable aesthetic identity, challenged long-established photojournalism norms and radically shaped coverage of Black Brazil.” — Washington Post