Ecuador
Ecuador
Conflict in Ecuador will take place on two fronts, explains InSight Crime: “The first is between criminal groups battling for control of the criminal landscape. The second will pit the Ecuadorian government against these organizations.”
While the militarized approach announced by President Daniel Noboa last week is a common response to security threats in the region, it is unlikely to succeed in the medium and long term Renato Rivera, coordinator of the Organized Crime Observatory of Ecuador told InSight Crime. “First of all, organized crime has a transnational character that requires a different response, far beyond militarization. Governments should focus on fighting illicit economies, especially money laundering and drug trafficking. And the armed forces are not structured for that.”
Spectacular, coordinated gang attacks in Ecuador last week brought the country’s criminal violence crisis to international attention — but residents of afflicted cities are all too familiar with “relentless bloodletting,” reports the Guardian.
Guatemala
Colombian President Gustavo Petro scored an ovation at the inauguration of Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo on Sunday, after he refused to leave until the new president was sworn in, after last minute political efforts to block the anticorruption crusader’s assumption delayed the possession of power. (El País)
El Faro English’s in-depth chronicle focuses on Indigenous voices at this critical juncture for Guatemala.
Argentina
Argentine President Javier Milei will speak at the World Economic Forum in Davos today, after launching a series of drastic reforms in response to Argentina’s economic crisis, reports AFP.
He is set to meet IMF head Kristalina Georgieva today — yesterday she praised Argentina’s “progress on all fronts.” (Corta)
Milei’s aggressive reform agenda, which seeks to modify hundreds of laws through presidential decree and an omnibus bill, is the subject of “frenetic negotiations” in Congress, where the president holds a tiny minority of seats. While Milei has taken an intransigent stance, accusing opponents of seeking bribes, members of his Libertad Avanza party have been more pragmatic in some negotiations, reports the Financial Times.
More than 70 organizations of civil society and experts have testified in Congress on the proposed changes, reports Página 12. Fundar argued that the reforms hinder Argentina’s exports and its value-added production.
Juan Manuel Telechea does a deep dive into the root causes of Argentina’s perennial inflation and concludes that it has an external component, a fiscal one, and an inertial factor. “Any strategy that only seeks to attack one of these parts will probably fail again.” (Anfibia)
Milei welcomed news that the governor of La Rioja will seek to emit a local currency, in response to lack of funds from the national government, but warned that there will be no federal bailout. (Infobae)
Venezuela
A law advancing through Venezuela’s Maduro-controlled National Assembly could further undermine the country’s civil society associations’ ability to function, reports El País.
Haiti
Haitian gang leader Germine Joly, known as “Yonyon,” faces a jury trial in the U.S. He is “charged with four dozen counts related to the smuggling of firearms to Haiti, in violation of U.S. export laws, and the laundering of kidnapping ransoms to support his gang’s violence,” reports the Miami Herald.
Mexico
Drought, mining and now agribusiness threaten the desert’s springs threaten Indigenous residents’ right to water in the semi-arid desert of San Luis Potosí, in Mexico, reports the Guardian.
Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic companies start a voluntary six-month pilot of a four-day work week next month — the standard work week reduced from 44 hours to 36 hours, Monday through to Thursday. A local university is tasked with analyzing the results, reports the Associated Press.
Colombia
“In Bogatá, a brewery founded by former Farc members has become a cultural hub teaching visitors about Colombia’s violent history and road to reconciliation,” reports the Guardian.