The News Roundup is a regular feature of the blog where we select a number of news articles from various sources around the web, with the goal of providing an overview of the weekly conversation about the countries where MCC works in the region. Quotes in italics are drawn directly from sources and do not necessarily reflect the position of MCC.
State Department budget calls Central America a top priority
The budget proposal sent to Congress on Tuesday requested $750 million for the State Department to fight poverty, improve security and reform government in Central America, reflecting the administration’s effort to counter the flight of unaccompanied children and families from the region’s violence. That’s on top of another $750 million that Congress approved in December for aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras and in addition to $250 million that would be spent by other government departments. Latin American experts gave the administration points for trying, but said the funding proposal was still too small to make a difference in a region that Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry have cited in recent weeks as in crisis. Experts said a dramatic change in the deep and widespread structural problems that plague the region was unlikely.
HSBC Sued by Families of Victims in Drug Money Laundering Case
HSBC has been sued by the families of U.S. citizens murdered by drug gangs in Mexico, claiming the bank let cartels launder billions of dollars to operate their business. The lawsuit alleges that by participating in the money laundering scheme of the cartels, HSBC knowingly contributed directly to the international drug and trafficking trade, including the “brutal acts” that accompanied it, during the period of 2010 to 2011. The London-based bank, which was already being monitored for its involvement in money laundering schemes, had paid nearly $2 billion in penalties in December 2012 to resolve charges that it failed to stop hundreds of millions of dollars in drug money from flowing through the bank from Mexico, and it promised to fix the problems.
El Salvador’s Gang Violence: Turf Wars, Internal Battles and Life Defined by Invisible Borders
While it is unclear how internal gang dynamics will develop, how they will change their tactics or how they will increase their profits, what is clear is that if the government continues with the same strategy that invites an all-out war with the gangs and little else, violence will continue to escalate and many Salvadorans will continue to face a choice between death or migration. A more comprehensive strategy providing greater (non-militarized) state presence in marginalized communities, more economic opportunity for people in those communities, including for gang members, community-level violence prevention and protection for victims would gradually help. Dialogue with the gangs should not be taken off the table as an option, although very significant problems associated with the truce, such as a lack of transparency and accountability, as well as the need to engage with non-imprisoned gang leadership, should not be forgotten. But at this point, without any change, there is little hope that the gangs will change course or that murder rates will drop.
Amnesty International: Nicaragua Canal Sidelines Indigenous Peoples
At the beginning of January, members of these communities condemned central government “pressure” to sign their approval of the canal project. The governments of Rama and Kriol claimed their right to free, prior and informed consent had been violated. “Trading on people’s basic human rights for the sake of money is not only morally questionable but also illegal. Authorities in Nicaragua must ensure they listen to those who will be most affected by the building of the canal, and take their views into account for decision making,” Guevara charged. According to the report presented to the judiciary on February 5, the canal route cuts across 52 % of indigenous and Afro-Nicaraguan territories in Rama and Kriol. “Despite the communities requests for information, to date they have not been properly informed of the canal’s impacts on their livelihoods, territory and culture,” notes AI. According to the human rights organization, Nicaragua is sidelining local communities in its multi-billion dollar canal project.
Haiti Elections News Roundup – February 9
Despite strong opposition among Haitians to foreign intervention, some foreign commentators claimed prior to the accord that a Haitian-led solution was impossible. The Washington Post insisted in a February 3 editorial that “a strong international hand is required, one that can encourage or, if necessary, coerce the country’s political, civic and business leaders to come to terms on a Haitian resolution.” The OAS Special Mission, which was present during both the negotiations leading to the accord and the signing ceremony on February 6, judged that its presence had “a favourable impact on the search for a consensus formula among the various groups.” The State Department also highlightedthe “constructive role” played by OAS Special Mission in fostering a “spirit of consensus.”…..While Martelly may be gone, the resolution of Haiti’s electoral crisis is far from guaranteed. Martelly departed as he came, as one headline put it (in reference to his contested 2010 electoral victory): amid uncertain and disorder.
What Happens When a Celebrity Becomes President
If the transformation of audacious showmanship and fame into political power reminds you of a certain real-estate mogul turned celebrity candidate in the United States, well, it should. Martelly presaged Donald Trump in a lot of ways. Before his election, Martelly’s supporters liked to say that, because he was already so rich and famous, their candidate couldn’t be bribed or bought. Every time he’d insult other candidates or critics, or just say what other politicians wouldn’t, disaffected, angry voters—especially young, unemployed men furious about their endless poverty and the failed response to the 2010 earthquake—just loved him more.
Life by Latin America’s largest open-pit coal mine
The contamination from the mine not only damages the rivers, creeks and other sources of water; it also takes a toll on people’s health. Last November, the Municipal Court of Barrancas ordered environmental authorities to oblige the company to reduce levels of air contamination after a two-year-old Wayuu child showed symptoms of serious respiratory difficulties. While such decisions show that there are possibilities to exert pressure on Cerrejon and state authorities, Danilo Urrea demands a Colombian government more inclined to protect its people, and not multinationals. “As a state founded on the principle of social rights, Colombian authorities are obligated to ensure a healthy environment. Unfortunately, the Colombian state has allowed big corporations to be ever more flexible, resulting in fewer environmental standards as far as the extraction of minerals are concerned,” says Urrea.
Subway in the sky: has La Paz’s cable car made a real difference to the city?
As the highest, longest urban cable car system in the world, La Paz’s “subway in the sky” was guaranteed a mention in the Guinness World Records book even before it opened in May 2014. The question back then, however, was whether it could also win a place in the hearts of its 1.5 million potential users. Twenty months on, the answer appears to be a resounding yes. The aerial transport network has not only proved popular among locals, but is also lauded as a symbol of efforts to close the geographic and economic gap between Bolivia’s indigenous poor and mestizo middle class. Rising more than 300 metres from La Paz – the world’s highest altitude administrative capital at almost 3,700m – up to the predominantly Aymara communities of El Alto on the plateau, the Mi Teleférico (My Cable Car) system links neighbouring cities that were long seen as social worlds apart.