The Siege in Alta Verapaz

There have been several recent news stories about the Zetas in Guatemala and the state of siege in Alta Verapaz.  So far,

police have arrested at least 22 "traffickers" and confiscated five small planes, 239 assault weapons, 28 vehicles and explosives in a series of raids...

I don't think that there is much evidence (yet?) of the siege having produced lasting calming effects and I don't think that we should expect any.  I hope that I am wrong, but given the strength of narcotraffickers in the region and the weakness of Guatemala's police, military, and political and judicial institutions, I am not optimistic.

Aside from my concerns that the operation in Alta Verapaz will be totally ineffective, Chris Arsenault writing for Al Jazeera reports on how some locals are skeptical that the operation was even launched to take on the Zetas.

No one disputes the power, corrupting influence or horrific violence projected by the cartels. "You could see them walking in the mall [in Coban] before the siege," says Cesar Bol, a leading activist with the National Indigenous and Campiseno Coordination Organisation (CONIC).

"They openly carried pistols on their belts, wore brand new clothes, drove brand new trucks and spoke with Mexican accents."

But in farming villages, church halls and independent research offices, there is deep scepticism about the government's actions.

"The state of siege is a strategy of the government to attack social movements," says Carlos Morales, who works for farmers' rights with the Union of Campiseno Organisations of Verapaz.

At least two activists, Chabil Utzaj and Pablo Sacrab, have been arrested in Alta Verapaz under the pre-text of the siege, another farmers' rights groups says.

Sitting beside bags of fertiliser and posters of the revolutionary Che Guevara in a warehouse-turned-office, Morales says the Zetas don't live in his municipality of Santa Cruz, a 15-minute drive from Coban.

He thinks the siege is staged and simply an excuse for repression, rather than a legitimate attempt to battle traffickers.

"There are agrarian conflicts in much of Alta Verapaz," he says. "The government is trying to silence groups organising for land reform and against mega-projects like hydro-electric dams and palm oil plantations."

While many urban Guatemalans do not share Morales's analysis, there is scepticism about why a state of emergency would be declared in Alta Verapaz, as it is not the country's most violent area.

On Monday, Interior Minister Carlos Menocal announced that in addition to the cash, suspects, and planes seized in the lat two weeks, the government has been able to disrupt the Zetas "base, their hiding place, their operations center in Alta Verapaz."  Menocal's quote would provide one reason why authorities conducted the siege in Alta Verapaz rather than the capital or other departments.

The Guatemalan Solidarity Project has more information on one of the indigenous leaders, Pablo Sacrab Pop, arrested during the siege.



Given Guatemala's history, people should be skeptical about the government's motivations and its capacity to carry out such a siege.  While I have no reason to doubt that the the central government's primary target is the Zetas, the siege also provides a perfect opportunity for some to use the siege to further their own economic interests by leading the police and military to target local labor, human rights, and indigenous community leaders.

Arrest in Bus Attack

Guatemalan authorities have arrested a suspect in Monday's bombing of a bus on the Guatemala City - San Juan Sacatepéquez route.  The attack left seven dead and fifteen injured.  Police believe that a woman left the bomb on the bus and detonated it by cell phone. However, it doesn't appear certain that they know how the bomb was detonated (or at least they are not sharing the information).

Authorities arrested twenty year old Sonia Elizabeth Véliz Hernández or Dominica Isabel Carrera Hernández (not sure which is the real name) on Tuesday.  She is alleged to be a member of MS-13 complete with tattoo markings on her chest and two tears under her left eye.

It still appears that the attack was tied to an extortion racket in which transport companies on that route had been targeted for the last several years and follows a recent year end report on the dangers of working in the Guatemalan transport sector.

Guatemalan bus drivers paid US$1.5 million (S$1.92 million) in extortion money to organised crime rings in 2010, according to a police report out on Monday.

Over the course of 2010 police arrested more than 500 criminals and charged them with trying to extort money from business owners and workers.

Some of those charged were members of the notorious Mara 18 street gang, according to Donald Gonzalez, a spokesman with the national civil police.

Public transport workers appear to be at particular risk. Human rights groups said that between January and November, 119 drivers and 51 transport aides were shot dead.

While gangs have killed drivers, assistants, and passengers in the past, this does appear to be a major escalation.  It's also reminiscent of last years attack on a bus in Mejicanos, El Salvador.

Top Destinations - Guatemala and Peru

CNN recently named two countries in Latin America among its nine Top Destinations for 2011.  The Peruvian Amazon came in at number 3.

When many people think of the Amazon, they think of Brazil, but Peru offers a great base for exploring the region: Iquitos, a metropolis of almost half a million people in the heart of the Peruvian jungle.

Iquitos is a fitting destination for 2011, which has been declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Forests.

"You can create your own adventures when you're there," Reid said.

It's the biggest city you can't drive to in the world, he added. You have to fly in or take a boat.

To experience the region in a unique way, Rapp recommended taking an Amazon River cruise from Iquitos on Delfin or Aqua Expeditions.

Here's an Iquitos video from YouTube.

Guatemala checked in at number 8.

More than 10 years after the end of its civil war, Guatemala is coming into its own as a tourist destination, Frommer said.

The country is an appealing alternative for people looking to travel south of the border and trying to branch out beyond popular places like Costa Rica, she added. Once there, you'll be amazed by the sites -- and the low prices.

"Lake Atitlan is one of the most beautiful places in the world. In fact, Aldous Huxley said it was more beautiful than Lake Como. I was there in March, and I would agree," Frommer said.

She called the destination "a bargain wonderland." A round-trip flight from New York cost Frommer $350, "decent hotels" charged as little as $35 a night, and a meal at a sit-down restaurant might set you back just $3, she said.

And here's a YouTube tourism video for Guatemala.

Scarves in Guatemala

Here's an interesting story about Debbie DuPey.

Debbie DuPey, 47, divides her time between Spokane and Guatemala – two very different worlds.  DuPey, a writer, artist and longtime Spokane specialist in domestic violence prevention, is trying to bridge these worlds by telling the stories of the women of Guatemala and by selling their scarves.  DuPey has published a 2011 calendar, titled “Threads,” featuring the stories of the women of Guatemala who weave scarves in the cooperative economic venture “Corazon Scarves.” Corazon is the Spanish word for heart.  The women’s scarves are marketed through DuPey’s website and also through small gatherings of Inland Northwest women.

You can learn more about Corazon Scarves here.

Guatemala Peace Accords Links

Here are a few more links to Peace Accords-related info from last week. 

Here is a statement from the URNG and an interview with Deputy Hector Nuila



And from the Partido Patriota

Guatemala - Not So Violent Year?

The AP has a story floating around documenting the toll that gunshot victims have on Guatemalan emergency rooms.

Massive numbers of cases have stretched the San Juan de Dios Hospital, Guatemala City's largest, to the breaking point. The medical facility, along with the city's Roosevelt Hospital, treated 1,224 gunshot and knife-wound patients from January to November this year...

Health Minister Ludwig Ovalle says treating victims of violence costs about $44 million, or about 10 percent of the department's total annual budget.

You can check out photos from Guatemala's emergency rooms here.

While you wouldn't know it, the total number of murders committed in 2010 declined relative to 2009 (Inside Costa Rica).  As of Christmas, 6,502 murders had been reported, down 6% from the 6,948 murders reported last year. 

In terms of where the murders occurred, approximately 58% occurred in the department of Guatemala (a department with 21% of the country's population).  Escuintla finished second with about 12% of the murders (and 4% of the population).  While the total number of murders were down, authorities said that there had been a greater cruelty in perpetrating such crimes (beheadings and signs of torture).

In terms of the victims, 178 urban or suburban bus drivers were killed.  According to the Mutual Support Group (GAM), store owners and employees were also targets of crime with 101 killed, often the result of extortion gone bad.  Forty-eight police officers were also killed. 

In terms of the perpetrators, most of the killings were linked to organized crime and gang-on-gang conflict (Xinhua). 

The Guatemalan Interior Ministry estimated 60 percent of the country's murders were committed by gangsters against ordinary citizens. Another 25 percent were caused by turf wars between the gangs, and the remaining 15 percent were due to crimes of passion or robberies.

While I don't think that anyone should be out celebrating the 6% drop in murders, sorry to say, but it's better than a 6% increase.  I'm hoping for a safe and happy new year, but I am worried.

No Love for Guatemala

In an otherwise interesting article from Stephanie Garlow at the Global Post, Guatemala gets no love.

Presidents are powerful in Latin America — and next year the top spots are up for grabs in Peru, Argentina, Nicaragua and Haiti.

Really, there's no reason Nicaragua and Haiti should be above Guatemala.