Haitian police call for chief to resign
May 13, 2024
Fresh gang attacks in Port-au-Prince, where armed groups seized another police station on Saturday, have pushed growing calls for the dismissal and arrest of Haiti’s police chief, Frantz Elbé, reports the Associated Press.
Local residents in the town of Gressier were forced to flee their homes in the morning because of the violence, reports AFP.
A U.N.-backed international security mission to support Haitian police, led by Kenya has been repeatedly delayed, although some believe the first officers might arrive in late May. The U.S. air force has begun flying in civilian contractors and equipment to Port-au-Prince, ahead of a potential international security mission that has been repeatedly delayed, reports the Financial Times.
More Haiti
Gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, better known as Barbecue, met with NPR for an hour-long interview — in which he voiced opposition to the transitional council and said the gangs are preparing for a long fight. “He said he expects a lot of bloodshed and eventually, the international forces will get tired and they will leave.”
Faced with a generation of violence traumatized kids, Haitians are overcoming a tabu on seeking mental health services, reports the Associated Press.
Venezuela
Venezuela’s political opposition has rallied behind Edmundo González — but it is unclear whether the July vote will push Nicolás Maduro from power. It is already surprising that González has been allowed on the ballot at all, and “few have illusions that the vote will be democratic or fair. And even if a majority of voters cast their ballots against Mr. Maduro, there is widespread doubt that he would allow the results to become public — or accept them if they do,” reports the New York Times.
Mexico
“Organized crime groups are turning Mexico’s elections into a literal battleground, making the campaign this year one of the deadliest in the country’s modern history,” reports the Washington Post. “More than two dozen candidates have been killed leading up to the June 2 vote; hundreds have dropped out of the race. More than 400 have asked the federal government for security details. The campaign of intimidation and assassination is putting democracy itself at risk.”
Colombia
Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s proposals to reform the constitution “appear to spring from frustration that the broad coalition he initially formed has fallen apart, complicating his ability to push through changes,” according to the Financial Times.
Clashes between Colombian armed groups have once again forced Wiwa Indigenous communities off the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta — a remote location that has helped preserve their traditions, but also put them repeatedly at risk from armed groups, reports the Guardian.
Regional Relations
Colombian President Gustavo Petro called for the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government he has described as "genocidal" in its war in Gaza, reports AFP.
“Argentina's government is set to ramp up pressure on Venezuela to grant safe passage to six opposition aides who had sought refuge in its embassy in Caracas, official sources said, adding they were at physical risk if they didn't leave the country.” - Reuters
Elon Musk has a habit “of fostering relationships with a constellation of right-wing heads of state, with clear beneficiaries: his companies and himself,” reports the New York Times, which puts as an example the tech mogul’s adamant championing of Argentine President Javier Milei, a relationship he has used “to press for benefits to his other businesses, the electric carmaker Tesla and the rocket company SpaceX.”
Argentina
Milei’s “free-market revolution” is “causing deep economic pain in Argentina,” reports the Wall Street Journal. Poverty is up to nearly 60%, government downsizing has cost thousands of jobs, and a public works freeze has tanked construction activity. “And beef consumption is at its lowest level in decades.”
Milei has particularly targeted his predecessors’ socially liberal policies on gender, with particularly dangerous effects for the LGBTQ community, reports the Associated Press.
A woman died from wounds sustained in a Molotov cocktail attack on the home of two lesbian couples in Buenos Aires — she is the third lethal victim from the attack, reports the AFP.
Brazil
The death toll from floods in Brazil's southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul rose to 147, local authorities said today, while 127 people are still missing, reports Reuters.
Ecuador
Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa’s plan to run for reelection next February has pushed his conflictive relationship with Vice President Veronica Abad in the spotlight. Noboa would have to suspend official duties for 45 days to run, and Abad said she has been pressured to resign, reports El País.
Peru
Police in Peru detained President Dina Boluarte’s brother and her lawyer, as part of a widening corruption inquiry into a corruption scandal involving luxury watches. They are accused of influence trafficking and belonging to a criminal organization, reports the Guardian.
Regional
A strong, 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck in the Pacific Ocean near the Mexico-Guatemala border, yesterday. There were no immediate reports of death. (New York Times, Associated Press)
Culture Corner
Jorge Carvalho’s Ospina Cali Colombia is a study of the Colombian documentarist and film-maker Luis Ospina, the founder of the Grupo de Cali, an artists’ collective including director Carlos Mayolo and the writer Andrés Caicedo — Guardian
Vaychiletik is “a tender film about the music of Mayan descendants is hampered by the alofty adherence to a documentary aesthetic where nothing is explained,” for the Guardian.