Peace & Justice UpdateOctober 23, 2009

(Volume 23, Number 4)

The countries for the Peace & Justice Updates have been chosen as areas of focus at the Institute.

Source information: Information presented in this update is condensed from wire and newspaper reports from Lexis/Nexis and from electronic sites on the World Wide Web. Complete bibliographical information is unavailable from these services, but every attempt has been made to properly cite information and give credit to source materials. This update is intended for use by IPJ staff and associates for informational purposes only. As the material in this update is condensed, and does not directly quote the primary source, information from the update should not be quoted.

Update subscriptions: Electronic subscriptions to the Peace & Justice Updates are free; simply send an email to updates@sandiego.edu and include the word “subscribe” in the subject line.

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The Peace & Justice Updates are written by the Fall 2009 interns at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice at the University of

San Diego.

The interns are Christina Chen (University of California, San Diego), Jill Covert, MA (University of San Diego ’09), Hannah Evans

(University of San Diego), Elizabeth Skurdahl (University of San

SOURCE LIST

Abidjan = Abidjan (www.abidjan.net)AFP = Agence France-Presse (www.afp.com)AI = Amnesty International (www.amnesty.org)Al-Jazeera = Al-Jazeera (http://english.aljazeera.net)All Africa = AllAfrica.com (www.allafrica.com)Analyst = The Analyst (http://www.analystliberia.com)AP = Associated Press (www.ap.org)Asia News = Asia News Network (www.asianewsnet.net)BBC = British Broadcasting Corporation (www.news.bbc.co.uk)BBC Monitoring = BBC Monitoring International Reports (www.monitor.bbc.co.uk)BBC Mundo = BBC Mundo (www.bbc.co.uk/mundo)Bloomberg = Bloomberg (www.bloomberg.com)CFR = Council on Foreign Relations (www.cfr.org)Chicago Tribune = The Chicago Tribune (www.chicagotribune.com)CIA = CIA - The World Factbook (www.cia.gov)CNN = Cable News Network (www.cnn.com)Colombia Reports = Colombia Reports (www.colombiareports.com)CSM = The Christian Science Monitor (www.csmonitor.com) Daily Monitor = Daily Monitor (www.monitor.co.ug)Daily Nation = Daily Nation (www.nation.co.ke)Daily Observer = Daily Observer (http://www.liberianobserver.com)DPA = Deutsche Presse-Agentur (www.dpa.de/index.html)DSR Sri Lanka = Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (www.priu.gov.lk) Economist = The Economist (www.economist.com)El Diario de Hoy = El Diario de Hoy (www.elsalvador.com)El Tiempo = El Tiempo (www.eltiempo.com)Enough = Enough (www.enoughproject.org) Financial Times = Financial Times (www.ft.com)Guardian = The Guardian (www.guardian.co.uk)Guatemala Times = Guatemala Times (www.guatemala-times.com)

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Haitian Times = Haitian Times (www.haitiantimes.com)Hill = The Hill (www.thehill.com)Himalayan Times = The Himalayan Times (www.thehimalayantimes.com)Hindu = The Hindu (www.hindu.com) HRW = Human Rights Watch (www.hrw.org)iAfrica = iAfrica (http://iafrica.com)IANS = Indo-Asian News Service (www.ians.in) ICG = International Crisis Group (www.crisisweb.org)IHT = International Herald Tribune (www.iht.com)Independent = The Independent (www.independent.co.ug)Informer = The Informer (www.theinformer-lr.com)IPS News Agency= Inter Press Service News Agency (www.ipsnews.net)IRIN = Integrated Regional Information Network (www.irinnews.org)Jeune Afrique = Jeune Afrique (http://www.jeuneafrique.com)E-Kantipur = Kantipur News (www.ekantipur.com)LAHT = The Latin American Herald Tribune (www.laht.com)La Prensa Grafica = La Prensa Grafica (www.laprensagrafica.com)LA Times = Los Angeles Times (www.latimes.com)Latin America Press = Latin America Press (www.latinamericapress.org)LBO = Lanka Business Online (www.lankabusinessonline.lk)Miami Herald = The Miami Herald (www.miamiherald.com)MSF = Médecins Sans Frontière (www.msf.org)Monitor = The Monitor (www.monitor.co.ug)NACLA = North American Congress on Latin America (www.nacla.org)Nepal News = Nepal News (www.nepalnews.com)New Times = The New Times (www.newtimes.co.rw) New Vision = The New Vision (www.newvision.co.ug)NYT = The New York Times (www.nytimes.com)ON = Omidyar Network (www.omidyar.com)Oxfam = Oxfam International (www.oxfam.org)Patriote = Le Patriote (www.lepatriote.net)PCA = Court of Arbitration (www.pca-cpa.org)Prensa Libre = Prensa Libre (www.prensalibre.com)Press TV = Press TV (www.presstv.ir)ReliefWeb = ReliefWeb (www.reliefweb.int) Reuters = Reuters (www.reuters.com)RFI = Radio France Internationale (www.rfi.fr)República = República (www.myrepublica.com)RSF = Reporters Sans Frontières, Reporters without Borders (www.rsf.org)Sec. Council Report = Security Council Report (www.securitycouncilreport.org)SC-SL = Special Court for Sierra Leone (www.sc-sl.org)

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Shabelle Media Net = Shabelle Media Network (http://www.shabelle.net/)SMH = Sydney Morning Herald (www.smh.com.au)South Asia News = South Asia News Magazine (http://www.southasia.net) Sudan Tribune = Sudan Tribune (www.sudantribune.com) Sunday Leader = The Sunday Leader (www.thesundayleader.lk)The Times = The Times (www.thetimes.co.za)The Monitor = The Monitor (www.monitor.co.ug)Tico Times = Tico Times (www.ticotimes.net)TIME = Time (www.time.com)Times of India = Times of India (www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com) TimesOnline = Times Online (www.timesonline.co.uk) Toronto Star = Toronto Star (www.thestar.com)TRC = Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Liberia (www.trcofliberia.org)Ugandaclusters = Ugandaclusters.ug: (www.ugandaclusters.ug)UGPulse = UGPulse (www.ugpulse.com)UHRC = Uganda Human Rights Commission (www.uhrc.ug)UN News = UN News Center (www.un.org/news)UNESCO = UN Educational, Scientific, & Cultural Organization (www.unesco.org) UNHCR = UN High Commissioner for Refugees (www.unhcr.org)UNICEF = UN Children’s Fund (www.unicef.org)UNIFEM = UN Development Fund for Women (www.unifem.org)Univision = Univision (www.univision.com)UNMIL = United Nations Mission in Liberia (http://unmil.org) VOA = Voice of America News (www.voanews.com)Vancouver Sun = Vancouver Sun (www.vancouversun.com)WSJ = The Wall Street Journal (www.wsj.com)WP = The Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com)Xinhua = Xinhua News Agency (www.xinhuanet.com/english)

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UPDATE SUMMARY

AFRICA

CÔTE D’IVOIREOf the 2.7 million missing from the provisional electoral list, 1.1 million are granted the right to vote.

GUINEAICC investigates September 28 massacre.

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LIBERIASexual violence against youth continues, even after six years of peace.

SUDANReferendum to be determined by a simple majority.

UGANDAInvitation of Museveni to Sudanese president results in controversy.

ASIA

NEPALGovernment talks continue to be stalled as a result of army chief controversy.

PAKISTANViolence continues as Obama signs aid bill; activists seek alternate strategies.

PHIILIPPINESRebel group and government agree to ensure safety of civilians.

SRI LANKATamil refugees flee “genocide” as EU considers economic divestment due to human rights abuses.

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

COLOMBIAColombia-Ecuador talks stall with arrest warrant.

CUBAU.S. judge reduces sentence of convicted Cuban spy.

EL SALVADORFunes searches for solutions to resolve violence.

GUATEMALAAttacks on police increase.

HAITI

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UN extends peacekeeping mission.

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AFRICA

CÔTE D’IVOIREOf the 2.7 million missing from the provisional electoral list, 1.1 million are granted the right to vote. A provisional voter list for November 29 presidential elections published October 5 was fraught with controversy as 2.7 million of the 6.4 million who had registered to vote were neither cross-listed on the 2000 electoral list nor found in any previous historical records. In an attempt to manage the 2.7 million before the finalized electoral list, the government and the Independent Electoral Commission agreed October 12 to give citizenship to 1.1 million of the 2.7 million, without providing any explanation. However, the remaining 1.6 million are deemed “lost” and are suspected “frauds,” according to Abidjan. The government has also suggested installing 45 commissions, comprised of chief officers, magistrates, and the gendarmerie, to oversee the electoral process around the country. During the elections, Ivorians will be required to prove their nationality with documents in front of a commission. Those unable to provide a valid form of identification would then be automatically seized by a gendarme and taken to a magistrate for questioning. Moreover, current President Laurent Gbagbo has postponed disarmament, despite the Ouagadougou Agreement’s requirement of disarming and re-integrating former rebels two months prior to the election. Candidates running in the 2009 elections include Gbagbo, former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara, former President Henri Konan Bédié, and Jacqueline Oble, the first woman in Côte d’Ivoire’s history to run for presidency. Civil war split the nation in two in 2002 and was partially caused by northern Muslims’ estrangement from Ivorian politics. The twice-postponed elections to be held in 2009 are to expected to definitively end the conflict. (Abidjan, October 20; Jeune Afrique, October 19; Patriote, October 16, 2009)

GUINEAICC investigates September 28 massacre. The International Criminal Court (ICC) launched an investigation October 15 to decide whether the events of September 28 amount to crimes against humanity. On September 28, soldiers opened fire on protestors and raped women in broad daylight at a peaceful demonstration in the capital Conakry. The United Nations counted 157 deaths, while the government maintained that only 57 people died. The ICC’s investigation comes amid growing international pressure on the junta. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) imposed an arms embargo on Guinea October 17, and has received support from the U.S., the African Union (AU), the European Union (EU), and the UN.

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In addition, the UN established its own inquiry into the deaths October 16. UN envoy Haile Menkerios expressed his confidence in the process because of junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara’s perceived willingness to cooperate with the UN commission of inquiry. Camara has launched his own inquiry, which consists of 31 representatives from the ruling military council, political parties, trade unions, civil society groups, human rights organizations, lawyers, judges and university professors, and is to work in conjunction with the UN probe. Despite this partnership, Camara has stated that he “will never accept a foreign intervention force.” Worried about the upsurge of violence in Guinea, France declared October 9 that the French government planned to stop all weapons sales to the military government and encouraged its nationals to leave Guinea October 16. Though Camara defied the AU’s ultimatum October 17 by not renouncing his candidacy in the January 2010 presidential election, the AU has yet to implement sanctions. AU Peace and Security Commissioner Ramtane Lamamra explained, “Legally speaking, the deadline has expired but politically, we are still working to put pressure on the junta. It’s the result which matters most.” Nonetheless, Camara is seeking out AU support in an effort to run for president in the 2010 elections, according to PressTV. Camara seized power in Guinea in a coup d’état in December 2008 after the death of then president Lansana Conté, who himself had seized power in a coup 24 years earlier. BBC analysts say that Camara’s desire to stay in power influenced his decision to run in the 2010 elections, which instigated the September 28 demonstration and military crackdown. (AFP, October 19, 20; BBC, October 9, 15, 17; iAfrica, October 19; Press TV, October 18; Reuters, UN News, October 16; VOA, October 19, 2009)

LIBERIASexual violence against youth continues, even after six years of peace. Although the Liberian conflict ended in 2003, thousands of young girls are raped every year in Liberia, with a quarter of the victims under five years old. According to Médecins Sans Frontières, up to 10,000 Liberian children are victims of rape every year, in a country whose population is a little more than 3 million. Rape was used as a weapon during Liberia’s 14-year civil war (1989-2003) by rebel factions and government forces, and the war’s long-term consequences have continued to haunt orphan children. According to the Guardian, children exchange sex for food, money, or help, to survive post-conflict Liberia. Two sisters, Oretha, 15, and Sarah, 16, explained that when they were hungry, they would beg from foreign aid workers who would “help” them in exchange for sex. They have also begged from United Nations (UN) peacekeepers who expected sex in return for food. The UN has acknowledged that there have been sexual

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abuse and exploitation on the part of its peacekeeping forces. Liberian president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, vowed to tackle the problem of sexual violence in 2005. However, little has been done for rape victims despite the appointment of a task force of women prosecutors, a female chief of police and a female judge who oversees sexual violence cases. The Liberian court began hearing the cases only in May 2009, and took two months to try its first case. Nonetheless, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has agreed to work in tandem with the Ministry of Defense of Liberia, signing a Memorandum of Understanding October 21 to advance the realization of children’s and women’s rights in Liberia. According to analysts at the Guardian, the child rape problem will persist and grow if Liberian children are continuously objectified as sexual objects and if impunity persists for the men who take advantage of them. (Guardian, October 16; Informer, October 20, 2009; MSF, December 16, 2004)

SUDANReferendum to be determined by a simple majority. After ten months of discussion and debate, the National Congress Party (NCP) of Northern Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) of Southern Sudan agreed October 15 to “adopt a uniform requirement of 51 percent simple majority votes to declare Southern Sudan an independent country or confirm unity in the upcoming January 2011 referendum.” Originally, the NCP sought 75 percent or 90 percent of the votes to confirm independence. In addition, the SPLM Deputy Chairman claimed his delegation had agreed to allow southerners living in Northern Sudan to vote during the referendum, despite the NCP’s previous rejection of their participation. Despite this breakthrough in negotiations between the two parties, the second largest Northern opposition party in Sudan, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), harshly criticized the new agreement. Bukhari Al-Gal’ali, an election official of the DUP, said “history will not have mercy on any party that goes [in] the direction [of putting] Sudan’s unity in jeopardy.” Al-Ga’ali has called for the imposition of controls that will affect this simple majority requirement, and DUP officials are urging voters to vote for “Sudan to be united in its current ‘international and constitutional’ form.” Civil war erupted in Sudan in 1983, and resulted in an estimated 1.9 million deaths before a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) ended the war in January 2005. A key component of the CPA was the promise to hold a referendum in 2011 to determine whether South Sudan is to be granted independence. (Sudan Tribune, October 16, 18, 2009)

UGANDAInvitation of Museveni to Sudanese president results in controversy. The African Union’s Special Summit of Heads of State and

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Government on Refugees, Returnees, and Internally Displaced Persons in Africa began in Kampala October 19. The purpose of the summit was to “chart solutions to the challenges of Africa’s estimated 17 million IDPs and refugees.” However, controversy surrounding the summit arose when President Yoweri Museveni extended an invitation to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to attend. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Bashir for his war crimes and crimes against humanity, stemming from the conflict in Darfur. Museveni defended his action, saying he issued the invitation because Bashir is still an African head of state. Moreover, Museveni promised Bashir would be safe from arrest should he visit Uganda, and the African Union has refused to uphold the arrest warrant. In response, Amnesty International released a statement saying Uganda “has an obligation to arrest President Bashir and hand him over to the ICC should he enter Ugandan territory.” Abbas Goma’a, the Interior Minister, and Mohamed Ahmed Al-Agbash, the refugee commissioner, have traveled to Uganda to represent Sudan at the summit. It remains unclear whether Bashir himself will attend. Uganda had previously invited Bashir to a conference in its territory, but later rescinded the invitation in order to “avoid a ‘diplomatic incident’.” Furthermore, a Ugandan cabinet minister had previously stated that Bashir would be arrested should he ever enter Uganda. Despite a personal call from Museveni to Bashir apologizing for this statement, Sudan expressed anger at Uganda for suggesting that its president could be arrested. (Daily Monitor, October 19, 2009; Sudan Tribune, October 18, 2009)

ASIA

NEPALGovernment talks continue to be stalled as a result of army chief controversy. The three main parties, Unified Communist Party of Nepal – Maoist (UCPN-M), the Nepali Congress (NC) and the Communist Party of Nepal – Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) have been in an active deadlock since early October. Talks have continued, and leaders from each party have consistently expressed their devotion to resolution and dialogue, but fallout from the acts of NC party leader and President Ram Baran Yadav in May 2009 continues to hold the parties in stalemate. Former army chief Rookmangud Katawal was dismissed by then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal (formerly known as Prachanda) of UCPN-M in early May 2009. Katawal was a staunch opponent to the integration of Maoist and state military forces after the decade-long conflict ended with a comprehensive peace agreement in 2006. Despite Dahal’s sacking of Katawal, President Yadav reinstated him immediately. This led to a

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split in the coalition government, and led Dahal to step down from his position as Prime Minister, protesting in the name of “peace and democracy in Nepal.” United Nations spokesperson Karin Landgren called Dahal’s resignation a “volatile moment” in the peace process. The International Crisis Group reported that “the Maoists jumped before they were pushed… But before the Maoists jumped, they had been pushed to the edge,” highlighting the complex context in which May’s events took place. Since Dahal stepped down, the UCPN-M, under his leadership, has fixated upon this act, calling it unjust and revealing of “unconstitutional and undemocratic” government. A task force including all three parties has been formed to draft a “consensus document” with a deadline of October 22. This development is one of many efforts to create an agreement from which to begin drafting the country’s constitution. UCPN-M has repeatedly proposed that the president’s actions be deemed “unconstitutional,” as well as that the interim constitution be amended so that such an action cannot be executed in the future. CPN-UML and the NC have both agreed to the latter demand, but the issue of May’s events still holds the three parties in deadlock. (AP, May 4; BBC, May 4; Bloomberg, May 6; Nepal News, October 21; Republica, October 7, 2009)

PAKISTANViolence continues as Obama signs aid bill; activists seek alternate strategies. The government launched a renewed offensive against the Taliban in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), “making progress” according to military officials by killing an estimated 78 suspected rebels. A suicide bombing at the International Islamic University in Islamabad killed at least six people October 20. The government described the new show of force by the Taliban as “guerrilla war,” holding implications for the continued role of U.S. military and Pakistani government forces in the region. The new wave of violence that has killed nearly 200 people since October 6 came at a critical point for U.S. aid policy. On October 16 U.S. President Barack Obama signed a bill for up to $7.5 billion of development aid to the country. A White House spokesman called the bill “tangible manifestation of broad support for Pakistan in the U.S.” as most of the funds (which have yet to be officially allocated in the bill) have been informally designated for development projects, and not for security forces. Critics have said that the conditionality of the U.S. aid bill is problematic, because although money in the bill is not designated for security forces, development money (for schools, roads, hospitals) in the bill will only be given if security-related conditions are met (such as fighting Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces). Meanwhile, the Taangh Wasaib Organization (TWO), headed by General Secretary Rubina Feroze Bhatti, has been working toward peace through human rights education. In response to the latest violence, Bhatti said October 20

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that new strategies must include more development without security prerequisites. With regard to U.S. military presence in the country, she said that what seems to be misunderstood is that “the Taliban is an ideology, so potential for the Taliban lies in each of us, and it becomes a reality when poverty provides no alternatives.” She said to counter this ideology, “we have to impart an alternative ideology and that is the ideology of peace, harmony and co-existence.” Bhatti also remarked that the U.S. has a responsibility to restore trust between the two countries since “Pakistan found itself largely alone in trying to cope in the aftermath” of Cold War operations between Soviet and Western forces. She said the peaceful future of Pakistan depends on investment that focuses on human rights programs and solidarity, since “the Taliban ideology cannot be fought with guns.” (AFP, October 21; Al-Jazeera, October 16, 20, 21; BBC, October 20; Xinhua, October 19, 2009) 

PHILIPPINESRebel group and government agree to ensure safety of civilians. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a rebel separatist group in the southern island of Mindanao, stated it is working with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) to establish a mechanism to protect civilians in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps from violence before the resumption of formal peace talks between the two parties. Murad Ebrahim, the leader of MILF, has said that both parties have agreed to create a “civilian protection mission” that would ensure the safety of civilians as they attempt to rebuild their homes. This mission would likely involve the participation of international groups, including human rights monitors, who would be responsible for maintaining the commitment of both sides to refrain from perpetrating violence on civilians. Ebrahim expressed his desire to “end the cycle of violence before it affects the younger generation of Muslims,” and Nabil Tan, the GRP’s chief peace adviser, vowed to “double the government’s peace confidence-building efforts.” The creation of this mission arose after both parties agreed to the creation of an “international contact group,” consisting of the Organization of Islamic Conference and the European Union, which is to facilitate future peace negotiations. Negotiations had stalled between the two groups in 2008 after two MILF commanders broke a five-year ceasefire in response to the blocking of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) by the Supreme Court. The MOA-AD was a key document in defining the Moro people’s ancestral homeland and was an important step to ending the conflict between the two parties. Since the end of the ceasefire, 380 people have died and more than 750,000 have been affected. Of this number, 250,000 remain in 500 IDP camps. Conflict between the GRP and the

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MILF first erupted in 1996 over the establishment of an independent Moro homeland, and has resulted in an estimated 120,000 deaths. (IRIN, October 19, 2009)

SRI LANKATamil refugees flee “genocide”` as EU considers economic divestment due to human rights abuses. An estimated 254 refugees who have been aboard a boat that was intercepted by Indonesian forces October 11 have agreed to come ashore for humanitarian reasons. A child on the boat was found to be sick, ending days of deadlock in which the refugees refused to disembark. Those on the boat are all believed to be of Tamil descent, and a spokesman for the group, “Alex,” said, “We are people who are running from genocide,” in their home country of Sri Lanka. While the refugees threatened to blow up the boat and have also staged a hunger strike, the Australian government has stayed firm in its refusal to admit the asylum-seekers. On October 19, an internationally known “people smuggler” was found to be on the boat, and was arrested by Indonesian police. Abraham Lauhenaspessy, also known as Captain Bram, has been arrested previously by the Australian government for smuggling an estimated 1,500 people into Australia. The group of asylum-seekers claimed that they are Sri Lankan nationals, and “not Tamil Tigers” of the rebel group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which was defeated in May after fighting against the government during a 24-year civil conflict. The refugees reportedly paid $15,000 each to Lauhenaspessy for transport. The group highlights international concerns over human rights abuses against nearly 300,000 ethnic Tamils who are still being detained by the Sri Lankan government. On October 19, the European Union (EU) released a critical report that expressed concern over “serious problems” in breaching human rights commitments, including evidence of police violence, torture and breaches of labor laws. The report was expected to have significant impact on trade between the EU and Sri Lanka, and BBC analysts said reduced trade would “badly hurt the country’s economy.” Thousands of jobs in the garment industry are at stake. The EU is the country’s largest export market, with the textile industry earning the country $3.5 billion in 2008 from Europe. (AFP, October 15, 20; Al-Jazeera, October 19; BBC, October 19; Reuters, October 20; SMH, October 15; VOA, October 19; Xinhua, October 19, 20, 2009)

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

COLOMBIAColombia-Ecuador talks stall with arrest warrant. The heads of Ecuador and Colombia’s armed forces, General Fabian Varela and

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General Freddy Padilla respectively, were scheduled to meet October 16 to continue repairing relations between the two countries. However, a few days prior to the meeting, an Ecuadoran judge’s decision to release an arrest warrant for Padilla halted the talks. The two countries broke off relations March 2008 after Colombia bombed Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel camps inside Ecuador. Colombia’s actions nearly brought the two countries to war. In September this year both countries’ foreign ministers met and Colombia signed an agreement stating it would not attack within Ecuador’s borders again. The meeting between Varela and Padilla had been set to further reconciliation. According to CNN, Colombia’s internal war has put strains between the two countries because Ecuador houses 250,000 displaced Colombians as well as FARC rebel camps, causing insecurity in Ecuador itself. From Colombia’s perspective, however, Ecuador officials are not doing enough to combat the FARC rebels. Despite the setback, Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa has promised to move forward with the talks. The executive and judicial branches in Ecuador are independent of one another, thus the arrest warrant did not come from Correa himself. It is hoped that improved relations will push Ecuador to lift economic sanctions against Colombia, which will help small- and medium-sized businesses on both sides of the border. A new meeting has been scheduled for November 3. (CNN, El Tiempo, October 17, 2009)

CUBAU.S. judge reduces sentence of convicted Cuban spy. On October 13 U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard reduced the jail sentence of Antonio Guerrero, convicted Cuban spy, from a life sentence to slightly less than 22 years. Guerrero was arrested in 1998 and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2001 for espionage conspiracy. According to BBC, Guerrero is known as part of the Cuban Five who were “found guilty in 2001 of infiltrating U.S. military bases and Cuban exile groups, and giving the information to Cuba.” Throughout their sentences, the Cuban Five have made several appeals, and in 2008 the appeals courts decided to allow three of them to be resentenced, of whom Guerrero was one. The prosecutors and Guerrero’s lawyers reached a deal on a 20-year sentence; however, Lenard gave out a longer term of 21 years and 10 months. Assistant U.S. attorney Caroline Heck Miller urged Lenard to shorten Guerrero’s sentencing claiming that it would show “the fairness of the United States’ judicial system” and counter public opinion in Cuba that considers U.S. courts biased. The Cuban government has claimed that the Cuban Five were not in Miami to spy on the U.S., but rather to prevent anti-Castro Cuban exile groups from attacking Cuba. The government claims that the Five are innocent and has named them national heroes. (BBC, October 13; Miami Herald, October 14, 2009)

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EL SALVADORFunes searches for solutions to resolve violence. President Mauricio Funes called October 20 for the integration of the Armed Forces of El Salvador (FAES) with the national police in order to fight the growing violence within the country. The appeal was made in conjunction with the release of the “Open Spaces to Citizen Security and Human Development” report by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The report declared that the Northern Triangle (Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras) is the “world’s most violent” region (referring to non-political crime), in which nearly 79,000 people have been killed in the past six years. The report showed that “three out of every 10 El Salvadorans have been victims of crime in the last 12 months.” According to the National Civilian Police (PNC) there is an average of 16 murders a day, making El Salvador one of the world’s most violent countries. A total of 43 murders were reported the weekend of October 17. The 26 murders reported October 18 marked the “most violent day [in El Salvador] for the past 10 years.” The homicides can be attributed to a variety of causes, such as arguments within and between gangs. According to Minister of Justice and Public Security Manuel Melgar, the violence has been widespread: “There is [violence] of all kinds, common crimes, acts of violence between gangs, difficulties due to social violence, and to a large extent they are related to the possession of firearms within society.” Therefore, according to Melgar, the government must not only increase the presence of the military and police in the violent territories, but additionally the state must control the proliferation of firearms. The Ministry of Defense and Security met with Funes October 13 to discuss ways to strengthen the assistance of FAES to the PNC. Funes agreed to increase the support of FAES, however at press time there was still no conclusion as to how the military would intervene. (El Diario de Hoy, October 19; La Prensa Grafica, October 20, 21, 2009)

GUATEMALAAttacks on police increase. As of October 20, nine attacks on four different days in October have left five police officers and prison guards dead and 11 others wounded. Previously, three attacks over a five-hour period killed another four officers September 7. Police speculate the attacks were in retaliation for transferring dangerous criminals to maximum security prisons. The rise in attacks against police came amid a report released by the United Nations Development Program, detailed in Prensa Libre’s October 20 edition, declaring Guatemala the most heavily armed country in Central America. Of the 2.8 million arms circulating in the region, Guatemala possesses over 1.3 million of the weapons, 800,000 of which are

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illegal. Eighty-two percent of the homicides in Guatemala are carried out with the use of guns. The report stated that it is no coincidence that the countries with the most guns also have the highest rate of homicides. Since 2000, Guatemala’s homicide rate has risen from 28 per 100,000 to 48 per 100,000 in 2008. Although Honduras and El Salvador have higher rates, 58 and 52 per 100,000 respectively, their homicide rates have been decreasing. (CNN, October 19; Prensa Libre, October 17, 20, 2009)

HAITIUN extends peacekeeping mission. On October 13 the UN Security Council voted unanimously to extend the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) until October 15, 2010. The council said that “the situation in Haiti continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security in the region, despite the progress achieved thus far.” During the announcement of the renewal, MINUSTAH chief Hedi Annabi paid tribute to the 11 peacekeepers killed October 9 in a plane crash while on a reconnaissance mission along the Haitian-Dominican border. The resolution will maintain the 9,000 troops and police currently part of the mission. Due to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s recommendation to the council, the new version will most likely make reconfigurations to the force so it can deploy troops more rapidly and monitor remote locations. The Security Council approved that the number of UN troops be decreased by 120 troops to 6,940 and the number of Haitian police authorities increased by 120 to 2,211, in hopes of strengthening support for Haitian authorities. MINUSTAH has been praised for its efforts to help stabilize police forces. However, some human rights organizations fear that MINUSTAH is not addressing the social problems—such as those in the judicial and prison systems—that, according to social worker Jean Ricardo Saint Clair, create “the root of violence” in Haiti. The mission also has been criticized for the lack of a strategic plan for leaving Haiti, even though the mission has been renewed each year. MINUSTAH was established in 2004 after the ousting of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. (Haitian Times, October 16; NYT, October 13, 2009)

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