In the spotlight: Salvadoran president attacks the United States and a specialist in armed gangs
Soldiers man a checkpoint at the entrance to the community of Las Palmas, a neighborhood believed to be under the control of the Barrio 18 Gang in San Salvador, El Salvador, Sunday, March 27, 2022. (Illustrative image) AP - Salvador Melendez
Text by: Christophe Paget Follow
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Nayib Bukele has
treated as "junk" on Twitter an anthropologist working on armed gangs.
Criminal gangs still front and center after a wave of killings last month: 9,000 suspected members of these gangs have been arrested in two weeks, according to government figures.
The president has taken to Twitter in recent days on the subject.
He first sharply criticized the United States, attacking Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Sunday, then on Monday at State Department spokesman Ned Price, who had claimed on Twitter that Washington was continuing to to help El Salvador fight against armed gangs.
The president, explains
El Salvador
, replied, still on Twitter, that the aid dated from President Trump, and that the Biden administration "
only helps armed gangs and their 'civil liberties'
".
► To read also: Salvador: President Nayib Bukele welcomes the arrest of 6,000 gang members
Presidential insults criticized
This Monday, he therefore also insulted Juan Martinez, an “
internationally recognized specialist
”, specifies
La Prensa Grafica
: the president – in fact – took up a truncated extract from an interview in which Juan Martinez explained “
the way in which these armed gangs and their role in the communities of El Salvador
”.
President Bukele noted that, for the anthropologist, they “
played a necessary social role in the country
” and therefore he called him “
rubbish
”.
Osiris Luna, the director of Penitentiary Centers, immediately followed in the president's footsteps, accusing Juan Martinez of being "
a terrorist
", writes
El Salvador
.
The newspaper takes up the specialist's response to the president on Twitter: "
Your message of hatred endangers me and my family.
You have acted irresponsibly
”.
The presidential message was widely criticized on social networks, underlines
El Salvador
.
La Prensa Grafica
recalls the context: these insults come “
six days after the ruling party approved a penal reform threatening journalists who report on armed gangs with 15 years in prison
”.
Juan Martinez, interviewed by the newspaper, believes that "
to obstruct the work
" on the armed gangs is "
a desperate attempt
" so that "
people do not realize the crisis they are living
".
In Brazil, a devastating report on illegal gold panning
Garimpo
, illegal mining, increased by 46% on Yanomami indigenous lands in the north of the country in just one year, between 2020 and 2021. Knowing that between 2016 and 2020, it
exploded
3,350%, specifies
Folha de Sao Paulo
, which takes up the report of the Hutukura Yanomami association.
A report that details the disastrous consequences of this record advance: deforestation, destruction of rivers, but also an explosion in cases of diseases such as malaria.
In Homoxi, explains
O Globo,
"
the post which in 2020 ensured around 6,000 consultations did not reach the thousand the following year, it is now a warehouse for the extraction of ore and fuel for the invaders
".
Especially since in the region, miners block the landing strips of the Indigenous Health Secretariat, and use them for their planes and helicopters.
The report denounces "
a frightening increase in violence against indigenous populations
": sexual abuse is commonplace: "
As soon as they reach puberty, indigenous girls are coveted and sexually abused by minors
", writes
O Globe
.
This Monday again, two natives were killed during a clash between two communities, title
Folha de Sao Paulo
: the miners would have given weapons to some to attack the others, opposed to the Garimpo.
So what to do?
“
Yesterday
, writes the globo.com site,
the federal public prosecutor filed a petition with the courts to compel the federal government to adopt protective measures and police operations against illegal mining on Yanomami lands
”.
Remember that the far-right Brazilian president Jair Boslonaro wants to pass a law authorizing mining on indigenous lands.
► To read also: Brazil launches an operation against illegal gold miners after giving them time to flee
In Chile, Santiago considers possible water rationing
Emol
describes this "
unprecedented plan
" to deal with the drought, which has lasted for thirteen years, the last four years having been the driest since a measurement system has been in place.
The plan proposes four levels of alert, which depend on the supply of the Maipo and Mapocho rivers, writes
La Tercera
.
This ranges from green, where it is advised to save water, to red, where water cuts will be put in place by sector and by day, rotating cuts "
for a maximum of 24 hours and every four , six or twelve days
”, depending on the water deficit to be covered.
The theme of water rationing “
has been in the public debate for a few weeks
”, writes
La Tercera
, who recalls that “
the possibility of taxing excessive water consumption
” has even been mentioned.
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