Honduras: teachers sit in for back pay

Honduran teachers occupied the Education Secretariat to protest the government’s delays in paying salaries and its failure to pay full year-end bonuses.

El Salvador: FMLN guerillas rearm —or not?

On Dec. 14 the Salvadoran government’s National Security Council (CNS) held a press conference to present evidence that at least 40 armed groups were active in the country, with a total of 400 members. The evidence included photographs of residents… Read moreEl Salvador: FMLN guerillas rearm —or not?

Nicaragua: indigenous rainforest community wins title to ancestral lands

UN rights officials praised the Nicaraguan government’s decision to give the indigenous Awas Tingni community official title to its traditional lands, marking the culmination of a decades-long struggle by the group to gain recognition and protection of its ancestral territory…. Read moreNicaragua: indigenous rainforest community wins title to ancestral lands

Canadian mining company threatens El Salvador with CAFTA suit

A Canadian mining company intends to sue El Salvador’s government for several hundred million dollars if it is not granted permission to open a widely unpopular gold and silver mine that scientists warn would pollute local water supplies. Pacific Rim… Read moreCanadian mining company threatens El Salvador with CAFTA suit

Nicaragua: ’80s nostalgia in wake of contested elections

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev hosted Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega at the Kremlin Dec. 18, as a group of Communists in St. Petersburg called for naming one of the city’s new subway stations “Nicaragua” or “Sandinista” as “a sign of Russia’s… Read moreNicaragua: ’80s nostalgia in wake of contested elections

Obama urged to suspend CAFTA

Members of the Stop CAFTA Coalition, along with allies in Central America and the Dominican Republic, have compiled a report that describes the trends and impacts of the first three years of the U.S.-Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA)…. Read moreObama urged to suspend CAFTA

Russian warship enters Panama Canal, first since World War II

The Russian destroyer Admiral Chabanenko passed through the Panama Canal Dec. 5 following joint naval maneuvers with Venezuela. It marked the first Soviet or Russian military ship to traverse the 80-kilometer waterway since World War II. Panamanian Foreign Minister Samuel… Read moreRussian warship enters Panama Canal, first since World War II

Six beheaded in Guatemala prison riot

A confrontation between the rival Mara Salvatrucha and La 18 gangs at Guatemala’s central prison, on the outskirts of the capital, ended in seven deaths Nov. 22—with five of the dead beheaded and burned. When authorities retook the prison five… Read moreSix beheaded in Guatemala prison riot

Post-electoral violence continues in Nicaragua

Nicaragua remains violently divided more than a week after contested national municipal elections. On Nov. 18, the opposition Liberal Constitutionalist Party (PLC) candidate for mayor of Managua, Eduardo Montealegre, called off a planned march, charging intimidation by followers of the… Read morePost-electoral violence continues in Nicaragua

Costa Rica approves CAFTA

On Nov. 11 Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly passed the last enabling laws necessary for the implementation of the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), a trade accord strongly promoted by the US. President Arias said it would take effect… Read moreCosta Rica approves CAFTA

Hu does Costa Rica

After the Nov. 15 Group of 20 (G20) summit in Washington, Chinese president Hu Jintao flew to Costa Rica for the first visit by a Chinese president to Central America. He and Costa Rican president Oscar Arias were to sign… Read moreHu does Costa Rica

Salvadoran officers could face charges in Spain for 1989 massacre

A criminal complaint has been filed in the Spanish High Court in connection with the Salvadoran army’s Nov. 16, 1989 slaying of six Jesuit priests in one of the most notorious events of El Salvador’s civil war. Human rights lawyers… Read moreSalvadoran officers could face charges in Spain for 1989 massacre