From Reuters, May 22: Tito Santana, one of the last tribal kings in the Americas, has been driven into exile from his lands deep in the Panamanian jungle by a fight over a hydroelectric project that has divided his tiny… Read moreHydro development exiles indigenous king in Panama
Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega is under scrutiny for supposed links to Colombia’s FARC guerillas. In one “partially decoded” February e-mail supposedly recovered from the computer of late FARC commander RaĂșl Reyes, fellow FARC director IvĂĄn MĂĄrquez wrote that Ortega could… Read moreColombian “farcpolĂtica” scandal hits Nicaragua
May 5 marked the beginning of an intended thirty-day strike, with public transport workers and truckers in Nicaragua protesting rising fuel costs and the lack of government impetus to do anything about it. With road blockades in several places in… Read moreNicaragua: rising fuel costs spark transit strike
From ElSalvadorSolidarity.org via Upside Down World, May 8: On Friday May 2, Hector Antonio Ventura was assassinated in the community of Valle Verde, Suchitoto. Ventura was the youngest of the 14 political prisoners captured in Suchitoto on July 2, 2007…. Read moreEl Salvador: Hector Ventura of Suchitoto 14 assassinated
At an emergency food-security summit held May 7 in Managua, 14 Latin American and Caribbean nations convened under the umbrella of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA). Nicaragua‘s President Daniel Ortega called the food crisis an “epic problem” caused… Read moreNicaragua hosts emergency food summit
From the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES), April 30: Attorney General’s office announces capture of suspects in assassination of FMLN Mayor In the early dawn hours of April 14, El Salvadorâs National Civilian Police (PNC)… Read moreEl Salvador: arrest in FMLN mayor’s murder
According to union sources, some 40,000 Hondurans participated in May Day celebrations, which included marches in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. The three main labor federations marched together, along with a number of grassroots groups and coalitions, including the Popular… Read moreHonduras: union leaders murdered
From the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES), April 18: US Ambassador Uses Anti-Gang Summit to Intervene in Salvadoran Domestic Security Issues During an April 8 “Anti-Gang Summit” in San Salvador, United States Ambassador Charles Glazer… Read moreUS pushes police powers at Salvador “anti-gang” summit
Nicaragua, an outspoken member of the new anti-imperialist bloc in the western hemisphere, last month won the backing of the 33-member Latin American and Caribbean group at the UN for presidency of the General Assemblyânearly assuring it of election to… Read moreNicaragua headed for General Assembly presidency; US, Colombia miffed
Guatemalan authorities announced April 15 they had captured Daniel PĂ©rez, a senior member of Mexico’s powerful Gulf Cartel, the latest sign that Mexican cartels are seeking control of Central American trafficking routes. Perez (alias Cachetes, or “Cheeks”), who is wanted… Read moreBoss of Mexico’s feared “Zetas” busted in Guatemala
Rights workers in Guatemala are calling upon the government to protect a Roman Catholic bishop from assassination after a rash of threats. Mgr. Ălvaro Ramazzini, Bishop of San Marcos, has been warned that he will be killed unless he withdraws… Read moreGuatemala: bishop recieves death threats for defending campesinos
Tens of thousands from across Nicaragua marched on the capital Managua, including large delegations of campesinos from the countryside, in a "pilgrimage for peace" called by Archbishop Leopoldo Brenes following days of angry protests and repression that left some 50 dead. The Catholic Church agreed to mediate a dialogue between the government and opposition over the planned reform of the social security system that set off the protests. But the "pilgrimage" struck a political tone, with marchers calling for the resignation of President Daniel Ortega. (Photo: Nuevo Diario)
