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WORLD NEWS Monday 15 august 2022
Mexico president to bypass congress to keep army in streets

By MARIA VERZA National Guard. The U.N.
Associated Press Human Rights High Com-
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mex- missioner’s office said last
ico’s president has begun week that militarizing civil
exploring plans to sidestep institutions, such as polic-
congress to hand formal ing, weakens democracy.
control of the National Soldiers aren’t trained for
Guard to the army, a move that, the military by nature
that could extend the mili- isn’t very open to scrutiny,
tary’s control over policing it has been implicated in
in a country with high levels human rights abuses, and
of violence. the presence of troops
That has raised concerns hasn’t resolved the press-
because President Andrés ing question of how to re-
Manuel López Obrador form police, prosecutors
won approval for creating National Guardsmen guard a site where a confrontation took and courts. While López
the force in 2019 by pledg- place with what authorities say were groups of criminals, that left Obrador claims human
ing in the constitution that several police officers wounded and more than a dozen people rights abuses are no longer
it would be under nominal detained, in Tupilejo, on the outskirts of Mexico City, July 12, tolerated, the governmen-
civilian control and that 2022. Associated Press tal National Human Rights
the army would be off the Commission has received
streets by 2024. positions when they were in dateline established in a more than a thousand
Neither the National Guard power. They supported the 2020 executive order. complaints alleging abus-
nor the military have been army in public safety roles The force has grown to es by the National Guard.
able to lower the insecurity during their respective ad- 115,000, but almost 80% of The agency has issued five
in the country, however. ministrations beginning in its personnel were drawn recommendations in cases
This past week, drug cartels 2006 and 2012. from the ranks of the mili- where there was evidence
staged widespread arson When López Obrador was tary. The United Nations of excessive use of force,
and shooting attacks, terri- running for president, he and human rights groups torture or abuse of mi-
fying civilians in three main called for taking the army have long expressed res- grants. “The problem with
northwest cities in a bold off the streets. But being in ervations about having using the military in civilian
challenge to the state. On power — and seeing homi- the military do police work. roles is that we don’t have
Saturday, authorities sent cides running at their high- and Mexico’s Supreme any control of what goes
300 army special forces est sustained levels ever Court has yet to decide on inside” the forces, said
and 50 National Guard — apparently changed his on several appeals against Ana Lorena Delgadillo, di-
members to the border city mind. He has relied heav- what critics say are uncon- rector of the civic group
of Tijuana. ily on the military not just stitutional tasks given to the Foundation For Justice.q
Still, López Obrador wants for crime-fighting. He sees
to keep soldiers involved in the army and navy as Glamping Aruba
policing, and remove civil- heroic, patriotic and less
ian control over the Na- corruptible, and has en-
tional Guard, whose offi- trusted them with building Are you a Nature Lover?
cers and commanders are major infrastructure proj- Than Glamping Aruba is the right place to stay.
mostly soldiers, with military ects, running airports and
training and pay grades. trains, stopping migrants
But the president no longer and overseeing customs
has the votes in congress at seaports. Mexico’s army
to amend the constitution has been deeply involved
and has suggested he may in policing since the start
try to do it as a regulatory of the 2006 drug war. But
change with a simple ma- its presence was always
jority in congress or by an understood as temporary,
executive order and see if a stop-gap until Mexico
the courts will uphold that. could build trustworthy po-
López Obrador warned Fri- lice forces. López Obrador
day against politicizing the appears to have aban-
issue, saying the military is doned that plan, instead
needed to fight Mexico’s making the military and
violent drug cartels. But quasi-military force like the
then he immediately politi- National Guard the main
cized it himself. solution. “Their mandate
“A constitutional reform has to be prolonged,” he
would be ideal, but we said. “I think the best thing
have to look for ways, be- is for the National Guard
cause they (the opposi- to be a branch of the De-
tion) instead of helping us, fense Department to give it
are blocking us, there is an stability over time and pre-
intent to prevent us from vent it from being corrupt-
doing anything,” López ed,” he said. He also wants
Obrador said. the army and the navy to
The two main opposition help in public safety roles
parties also had a different beyond 2024, the current