The Latin American Report # 637

The government of President Santiago Peña in Paraguay plans to deploy up to 11,000 personnel to the border regions with Argentina and Brazil, as part of the so-called "Operation Guaraní Shield", aimed at confronting organized crime. This Tuesday, a vanguard of 300 members of the Armed Forces was mobilized; an estimated total of 4,000 personnel from the three military's divisions will participate in this effort. "The Government of Paraguay is determined to confront organized crime with all available elements, and this operation is further proof of that assertion," said the head of the Ministry of Defense. The National Police, for its part, will deploy 7,000 officers to reinforce border police stations or those near that geographical area.

Argentina and Paraguay are two countries that, precisely because they share borders with Brazil, have reacted to the appalling massacre—I have no other way to refer to the event—unleashed at the end of last month by the state government of Rio de Janeiro in two favelas, which resulted in 121 dead in total, 117 of them alleged criminals. In this case, the López's Palace believes the action could somehow transfer significant volumes of criminal activity to Paraguay, and therefore heightened border surveillance.

Furthermore, the two main and notoriously infamous Brazilian gangs, Comando Vermelho and the Primeiro Comando da Capital, were declared "international terrorist organizations" by Asunción. During the Peña administration—which, in general, is not having a good moment—a determined intention to tackle organized crime has certainly been noted, with significant seizures primarily of marijuana.

Colombia

A recent report cited by EFE indicates that between December 2024 and July of this year, the membership of armed groups grew by 15%, nearly reaching 25,300 members between armed personnel (48%) and logistical support personnel (52%). It confirms that the so-called Gulf Clan is the largest organization, very close to 9,000 members. The Central General Staff, the largest dissident group of the extinct FARC-EP, grew by 20% to surpass the 3,900 mark, while the National Liberation Army did not have significant growth but maintains a representative estimated strength of 6,450. For its part, the so-called General Staff of Blocks and Front, which split from the Central General Staff last year, added about 400 members to total around 2,800.

At least EFE does not include data for the Segunda Marquetalia, another group formed by ex-guerrillas of the FARC-EP who rejected the Peace Agreement, or its (alleged) non-compliance. Among the reasons for the growth of the groups, according to the report, published by the foundation "Ideas for Peace", is effective propaganda by them on social media, with attractive incentives for both minors and adults. This Tuesday, the Colombian Ombudsman's Office issued an early warning for a municipality in the violent state of Cauca due to actions and dynamics linked to the Central General Staff.

Cuba

The oral trial, behind closed doors, for the charge of espionage against former Deputy Prime Minister and former Minister of Economy and Planning Alejandro Gil Fernández is currently taking place. The Supreme People's Court decided not to make the oral hearing public, citing national security reasons, which is not atypical for crimes like espionage due to the high sensitivity they entail.

Thus, no information has emerged about the potential state or organization that benefited from Gil's alleged espionage services. In this sense, and considering the erosion of popular trust in institutions and leadership—for various reasons—, the Cuban state runs a great risk by not informing, as far as possible, but with sufficient documentary and demonstrative rigor, about the evidence that emerged from the criminal investigation against the former official, who faces other charges for corruption—in general.

The Caribbean showdown

An already expected and concerning development 👇

This is all for today’s report.