Mexico’s Autopista del Sol, connecting Mexico City to Acapulco, was intermittently blockaded since Monday, but the blockade has now finally been lifted. Protestors agreed to release the 13 hostages they had held, which included “five members of the National Guard, five state policemen, and one federal and two local government officials.” The protestors declared that they were fighting for the improvement of local roads, a promise the government had made, though “authorities claim that Monday’s protest was in fact sparked by the arrest of two members of the “‘Los Ardillas”’ criminal group,” according to Mexico News Daily. The Washington Post called the violence in Chilpancingo “an unusually stark challenge to the government by an organized-crime group,” noting the pervasiveness of criminal organizations at all levels of Mexican society and the significance of having taken public officials hostage. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) “opted for a low-key response to avoid bloodshed.”
In the Latin America Risk Report this week, James Bosworth noted the potential impact that the increase in violence in Mexico could have ahead of the country’s presidential elections, set to be held in 2024, and posed three critical questions regarding the future of the electoral conversation on security. Insight Crime, drawing upon a recent report published by the Wilson Center, highlighted the escalating connection among femicides (female homicides), organized crime, and Mexico’s security policies and interviewed the authors of the report for a deeper dive into the topic.
(Mexico News Daily, Washington Post, Latin America Risk Report, Insight Crime)
Nicaragua
“Nicaraguan police detained another Catholic priest critical of the government, two sources close to the Church told Reuters on Monday, making him the latest cleric to be targeted in a deepening crackdown on clergy in the country.”
Venezuela
InSight Crime has published a 5-part investigation on “the emergence of new generations of hybrid armed groups, which systematically coordinate and cooperate with elements of the state,” looking at groups such as colectivos, Tren de Aragua, and the Bolivarian Liberation Forces.
“The Venezuelan economy is growing, supported by an increase in oil production. Yet, the rate of growth is clearly insufficient. At the end of 2022, there was an exchange rate depreciation that almost froze productivity, which was further aggravated by new acts of corruption in the government. The country needs to have several years with double-digit growth rates to be able to recover any form of stability,” says El País.
Tonight is the first debate for the opposition primaries, reports Crónica Uno, highlighting opposing views on whether debates foster inclusion or division within the opposition.
El Salvador
El Salvador’s Congress approved changes to the country’s electoral code and format of ballots last night, reports El Faro.
Amazon
More on NACLA’s series of articles on the Amazon (see yesterday’s LADB): anti-Indigenous attacks in the Amazon and an interview with Munduruku leader Alessandra Korap on grassroots territorial struggle.
““Thousands of Indigenous people have migrated from their villages in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest to urban areas throughout the country in search of education and income. The trend is expected to continue, and has created concerns amongst Indigenous elders that the migration will negatively affect their remote communities, already under siege by the forces of commerce and climate,” reports CGTN.” (via Americas Migration Brief)
Regional
“Latin America and the Caribbean received record flows of foreign direct investment (FDI) last year,” according to ECLAC. (Reuters)
Colombia
Colombia’s former finance minister and previous presidential candidate Oscar Ivan Zuluaga was charged with “fraud, illicit enrichment and falsification of documents” that resulted in his receiving at least $2.8 million from Brazilian company Odebrecht, says AP.
Argentina
“Amidst increasing allegations of having auctioned off spots on the Libertad Avanza party list, Milei has changed his response three times; first dismissing the claims, then claiming a ‘tax collection’ method of campaign financing and criticizing the financing of other parties, and finally claiming he was the victim of ‘the biggest defamation campaign in Argentine history’,” writes Arianna in Road to the Casa Rosada.
Ecuador
According to Climate Home News, Ecuador’s referendum vote to decide the fate of the oil reserves found within the Yasuní rainforest in the Ecuadorian Amazon “will define the economic model for the country’s future.”
In the past couple of years, the drug trade in Ecuador, especially cocaine, has caused a dizzying increase in violence and growing levels of influence from international drug cartels, reports the New York Times.
Trinidad and Tobago
St. Vincent Times reports that Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Digital Transformation “had uncovered a recent cyberattack targeting the country’s Attorney General’s Office and Ministry of Legal Affairs” that resulted in outages.
Paraguay
Paraguay, the final South American country to retain relations with Taiwan, will continue to be committed to its relations with the island, according to president-elect Santiago Peña in a visit to the country. (US News)
Brazil
Reuters reports that Brazil’s inflation rate fell to 3.16% in June from 3.94% in May, the country’s lowest level since September 2020.