Central America

Protesting indigenous people achieve investment in their comarca in Panama

Photo: EFE

August 9|

Indigenous groups unblocked early Tuesday morning points of the Inter-American highway in Panama, after negotiations with a high-level government commission, which agreed to an investment of up to $ 150 million in infrastructure projects in their territories.

The Minister of Public Works, Rafael Sabonge, confirmed that “after 15 hours of conversations with the pro-road groups (…) we have managed to reach an agreement to significantly improve the quality of the roads in the Ngäbe Buglé region and, likewise, improve the quality of life of the residents (…) and as a consequence of this, lift the closure of the road”.

In the agreement it was established to improve the quality of the road network of the region and that the first meeting to follow up on these agreements was to be held this Tuesday.

“We hope that this commitment for the construction of infrastructure in the “most remote areas” of the country will be fulfilled to the letter”, “we trust in God, more than anything else, and again we put our faith in the Government to keep its word in these terms of time”, declared the spokesman of the protesters, Joel Franceschi.

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The Panamanian authorities “have been signing agreements for a long time and they have not complied with them and the population has had to resort to this pressure measure so that the Government pays attention”, declared on Monday another spokesman of the demonstrators in San Juan Oriente, Aquilino Montezuma.

Press media reported that on Tuesday morning there were no longer blockades in one of the protest points set up by the indigenous groups, San Juan Oriente, belonging to the western province of Chiriqui, bordering Costa Rica.

The blockades began at noon on Monday and generated long lines of vehicles on the Interamerican highway, which crosses all of Panama and connects the country with Central America; it is considered a neuralgic route for the transportation of people and merchandise arriving through the Panama Canal and the national ports system.

The demonstration raised fears of food shortages in the Central American country, as occurred a little more than a year ago due to indigenous blockades in the same area of Chiriqui, demanding the high cost of living.

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Related Topics:indigenous people Panamá

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Central America

Mazatenango Carnival cancelled amid State of Siege in Guatemala

The municipal government of Mazatenango, in the department of Suchitepéquez, Guatemala, has cancelled the city’s traditional Carnival as a security measure aimed at protecting visitors and residents.

The decision was announced on Tuesday through the municipality’s official Facebook page and comes as a preventive action amid the state of siege declared by the national government last Sunday.

The Mazatenango Carnival, one of the country’s most emblematic festivities, boasts more than 140 years of traditionand typically draws large crowds from across Guatemala and neighboring regions. Its program usually includes parades of floats, the traditional “Rabbit Race,” street dancing and live music, concerts, and cultural events in the Central Plaza.

According to the official statement, the cancellation responds to the current security context and the restrictions associated with the state of siege, prioritizing public safety.

Municipal authorities clarified that the scheduled concert by La Arrolladora Banda El Limón will still take place separately and will be the sole responsibility of the private production company, independent of the cancelled carnival activities.

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Central America

Guatemala raises police death toll to nine after gang violence escalates

Guatemalan authorities raised the death toll of police officers killed in a wave of gang violence to nine on Monday, after one officer wounded in the attacks died from his injuries. The violence prompted the government to declare a state of siege.

Criminal gangs launched a series of coordinated attacks against police forces across several parts of the country in retaliation for the government’s recapture of three prisons, where gang leaders had been holding dozens of prison guards hostage. Authorities said the hostages were used to pressure officials into transferring gang leaders to facilities with looser security measures.

Eight police officers were killed on Sunday. Another officer, identified as Frayan Medrano, died Monday in a public hospital after being shot while riding a motorcycle with a colleague, who remains in critical condition, according to police and the Ministry of the Interior.

Central America

Guatemala prison uprisings leave 46 guards held by gangs

Gang members staged riots, took prison guards hostage and set fires on Saturday at several prisons in Guatemala, in protest over the transfer of their leaders to a maximum-security facility and the implementation of new confinement measures, authorities said.

The Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gangs — both designated as terrorist organizations by the United States and Guatemala — are accused of contract killings, extortion and drug trafficking. Guatemala’s Minister of the Interior, Marco Antonio Villeda, confirmed that the unrest affected three prison facilities.

Villeda said the riots did not result in any fatalities or injuries, but 46 prison guards are currently being held hostage by gang members.

The minister stated that the government is willing to engage in dialogue to secure the release of the detained personnel, regain control of the prison facilities and ensure that inmates submit to internal regulations and the rule of law.

“Dialogue, not negotiation. We are dealing with terrorist structures that are financed and well organized. These are terrorist groups with whom we will not negotiate. The State is acting with legitimacy and in accordance with the law,” Villeda said.

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According to official figures, 18 guards are being held at the Renovación 1 prison and the Preventive Detention Center for Men in Zone 18 — nine at each facility — while another 28 guards are hostages at the Fraijanes 2 prison.

Villeda acknowledged that all three prisons remain under gang control, but stressed that authorities are prioritizing the safety of those being held. “We will guarantee their lives and respect for them. We will take whatever time is necessary to retake control of the prisons,” he said.

The minister also warned that the prison riots are part of what he described as an “orchestrated plan,” which has included road blockades in other parts of the country and the destruction of penitentiary infrastructure and records.