Three Chilean policemen were killed in the province of Arauco on Saturday, after having responded to false emergency calls, according to the authorities. The authorities also noted that the officers, who had been in an armored patrol vehicle, appeared to have been attacked with heavy-caliber weapons and shot. The vehicle was then burned. (RFI)
ABC reports that the killings coincided with the celebration of the 97th anniversary of the establishment of the Carabineros (police force) in Chile, prompting Carabinero general director Ricardo Yáñez to say, “This [attack] was not coincidental, it was not random.”
Reuters notes that “the region where the attack took place is home to long-running tensions between the state and the South American country's Mapuche Indigenous people,” though there is no indication so far as to who the perpetrators of the crime are. The military was called in to guard the crime scene, in the context of repeated arson attacks by radical Mapuche groups in the area over the past weeks.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric traveled personally to the region to pay his respects, and has declared three days of national mourning. (MercoPress)
Haiti
“The chaos and violence in Haiti have not emerged in a vacuum; they result from years of political interference from abroad and democratic decay at home,” writes Pooja Bhatia in the New York Review.
Innocent, leader of the Haitian gang Kraze Baryé, sat down with CNN to share his view of the future for his country in his first interview with foreign press.
The Wall Street Journal covers the struggle between Haiti’s police and the country’s growing gang presence amidst the fight for political control.
Regional
The dengue outbreak across Latin America is testing the region’s medical infrastructure, writes the Economist.
In Americas Quarterly, Nicolás Saldías argues that a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait could have a significant effect on Latin America and the Caribbean, given the region’s strong economic ties to China and its dependence on Chinese supply chains.
Venezuela
In World Politics Review, James Bosworth outlines the four conditions necessary for the possibility of regime change to occur in Venezuela, noting the increased optimism from the opposition as they’ve scored important political victories in recent weeks.
Argentina
Argentina’s country risk has fallen more than triple the rate of other emerging markets over the past four months, reports Infobae. The country’s EMBI rating, calculated by JP Morgan, fell 39%.
Guatemala
Opium poppies, which are used to make heroin, have seen their demand decrease dramatically as the cheap synthetic opioid fentanyl has begun to replace heroin in the drug trade, causing Guatemala’s poppy farmers to struggle and potentially even migrate to the US, says the New York Times. Officials are also concerned that Guatemala could become a critical transport hub for the drug.
Cuba
A shortage of cash in Havana is causing long lines at banks and ATMs, reports AP, as Cubans struggle amidst an already-complicated monetary system.
Approximately 10,200 new private businesses have opened in Cuba since 2021, with residents taking advantage of the country’s loosened economic restrictions, says the New York Times.