Southern Cone
Argentina: “dirty war” witness murdered
Unidentified assailants killed “dirty war” survivor Silvia Suppo in her crafts shop in the small town of Rafaela in Argentina’s northeastern Santa Fe province.
Author: Weekly News Update on the Americas
Mexico
Mexico: army kills two students in “drug war”
As of March 26 sources in the Mexican military had admitted that it was probably soldiers who killed two students the early morning of March 20 in front of a prestigious university in Monterrey.
Central America
Costa Rica: Arias tries to bust port workers union
On Feb. 26 the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) charged that the Costa Rican government in effect “illegally established a ‘yellow’ trade union” for 1,500 dockworkers.
The Caribbean
Haiti: Clinton, Bush visit, promote sweatshops
Former US presidents George W. Bush (2001-2009) and Bill Clinton (1993-2001) visited Haiti for one day on March 22 to call for international aid for the country.
The Caribbean
Haiti: professor killed, union funding threatened
On March 12 several hundred Haitian students and activists gathered at a memorial service for Jean Anil Louis-Juste, a sociology professor shot dead in downtown Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12.
Central America
Honduras: security forces evict thousands of squatters
Hundreds of Honduran soldiers, police and agents of the National Criminal Investigation Directorate removed thousands of families from lands they were living on outside Tegucigalpa.
Southern Cone
Chile: popular organizations respond to disaster
Chilean social and grassroots organizations have formed a solidarity network in response to what they call authorities’ insufficient action in the wake of the devastating earthquake.
The Andes
Peru: old crimes catch up with ex-officers
JesĂşs Sosa Saavedra, a former agent of Peru’s Army Intelligence Service (SIE), confessed to a series of murders in the 1988 “Operation Lucero,” linked to the Colina Group death squad.
The Caribbean
Haiti: US and Canada draw down troops
The US military said 700 paratroopers withdrew from Haiti over the weekend, leaving a total of 11,000 soldiers in the country. Some 100 Canadian troops are also scheduled to leave.
Central America
Guatemala: teachers’ strike settled
After lengthy negotiations on Feb. 26, Guatemala’s new education minister, Dennis Alonzo, and Joviel Acevedo, head of the 80,000-member National Teachers Assembly (ANM), reached an agreement settling a wage dispute that had set off a series of militant actions starting… Read moreGuatemala: teachers’ strike settled
The Andes
Colombia: transport strike paralyzes Bogotá
Bogotá’s Small Transport Providers Association (APETRANS) pulled some 16,400 buses and collective taxis out of service to protest plans for modernizing the city’s transit system.
The Andes
Peru: five killed in market vendor protest
A confrontation between police agents and market vendors in Piura, capital of Peru’s northwestern Piura province, resulted in the deaths of at least five civilians.