The Latin American Report # 317: No peace in El Micay, Colombia; historic hours in Mexico

Coca

The so-called “Cañón del Micay”, a mountainous area of Colombia's troubled Cauca department, has long been in the headlines for the shocking level of activity of armed groups there. The municipalities of Argelia and El Tambo are the most compromised, as their location favors drug trafficking and the entry of contraband fuel, among other illicit trades. Throughout Cauca, and particularly in the Micay, the signatories of the peace agreement between the “extinct” FARC-EP and the Government of Juan Manuel Santos have been exposed to the criminal structures that have taken—or are trying to take—control of the area, many of them victims of selective assassinations or massacres.

The town of El Plateado in Argelia is the scene of the fiercest fighting, which, to top it off, usually takes place in the early hours of the morning. “Sometimes we are calm, we go to bed relaxed at night, but [then] in the early morning we are woken up by bombs, gunshots, [...] and that makes us live in fear day by day”, a local told Voice of America. “There are several armed groups here [...] who, because of the illegal economy we have, are fighting for the area [...] The presence of the army has aggravated the situation[, so we] are in constant anxiety”, says another local.

Thus, certain structures of the two main dissidents of the FARC-EP—the Central General Staff and the Second Marquetalia—and the National Liberation Army (ELN in Spanish) are responding with bullets to the peace policy that President Gustavo Petro tries to advance. Last weekend, blood was shed in another municipality in Cauca, reportedly as a result of a confrontation within a structure of the Central General Staff. Twelve people were killed, among them 5 women described as “sentimental companions” by the ELN.

_{FARC-EP dissidents cut the ribbon at a ceremony for the delivery of machinery, in a community-driven effort to repair the roads (source).}

Mexico

Dozens of Mexicans angered by the judicial reform promoted by MORENA entered the alternate seat where the Aztec upper house was in session, preventing for a time the continuation of the debate on the legislative initiative. When I finalized this report the senators were in control, but the session could extend beyond 30 hours, as it happened in the Chamber of Deputies. The MORENA caucus achieved an important last-hour adhesion which activates the qualified majority to approve the reform without dealing with opposition, but there are accusations that the governing political force appealed to the Underwood method of blackmailing opposition congressmen with the opening of investigations to them or their relatives. There were also allegedly offers of positions and other gifts.

Democracy? In the photo below you can see a group of protesters occupying the room where senators were discussing the reform (source).

When an opposition senator—qualified as Judas Iscariot—announced that he would vote for the reform, people tried to re-enter the hall but were repelled by the authorities. Tear gas and fire extinguishers have been used.

▶️ Se registran enfrentamientos entre manifestantes y policías capitalinos en las inmediaciones de la Casona de Xicoténcatl, antigua sede del Senado.

📹 #VIDEO: @JCWilliams54 | EL UNIVERSAL pic.twitter.com/58UMpqs6tn
— El Universal (@El_Universal_Mx) September 11, 2024

Haiti on US heated immigration debate

JD Vance false conspiracy about Haitian immigrants 'dangerous': Biden NSC spokesman ⁦@CNBC⁩ https://t.co/UaQHjhGpoK
— Edward A. Rowe (@EdwardARowe1) September 10, 2024

And this is all for our report today. I have referenced the sources dynamically in the text, and remember you can learn how and where to follow the LATAM trail news by reading my work here. Have a nice day.

You are well aware of my views regarding prohibition and black markets leading to corruption and rampant crime, so I will leave it at that regarding Colombia. Regarding Mexico and the proposed judicial reforms, the reek of blackmail, extortion, and bribery suffuses the process, and my heart beats for the outraged civilians that endure such governance. Regarding the cultural divide between American natives in Ohio and new immigrants from Haiti, where soul-crushing poverty and food insecurity is endemic, I must assume the corporate media and 'official' line is fake news, and I have seen pics from a variety of jurisdictions that support allegations immigrants suddenly plunged into American civil society are untrusting of social welfare programs and have been compelled to acquire nutrition or starve their entire lives. Plentiful small animals populating parks, such as ducks and geese, and the numerous pets allowed to roam, or barely secured in the absence of their owners, are highly likely to be taken for food in such circumstances, IMHO.

I am not there, am not an eyewitness, but the preponderance of evidence runs counter to the perpetual fake news fountains that deny such harvests are occurring. I have seen ethnic gangs seizing control of natural resources where I am, and understand the dynamic that occurs during immigration of divergent cultures. Taking of game out of season, completely ignoring limits and licensing requirements, exacerbated by nescience regarding wildlife management agencies and practices to maintain healthy wildlife populations, by people from polities where bribery and violence alone determine take and the benefits of wild game, perpetuates such practices in America, where that has not been the case for generations. I have also seen the decline of such gangs as better opportunities for economic prosperity than black bear gall bladders or gourmet mushrooms are attained by such immigrants, and expect the problems in Ohio are just as - if not moreso - temporary.

Thanks!