Mara Salvatrucha gang member (photo: Wikimedia Commons)
Honduras – Prisoners Killed in Gang Attack: Five prisoners from the mara M18 gang were killed yesterday after an attack by the rival Mara Salvatrucha, or MS13, gang. All of the dead were under 18 and were jailed at El Cármen prison in San Pedro Sula. According to the police, the attackers threatened the guards, overpowering them with their weapons, and managed to get into the area of the jail that the M18 inhabit, opening fire and killing five of their rivals and injuring another. It is not clear if the perpetrators were fellow inmates or had come into the prison from the outside. Three of them have been detained. Neighbours reported hearing explosions, but police have denied grenades were used in the attack. Prisons in Honduras are notorious for being overpopulated, lacking guards, and being very violent. In 2012, over 350 inmates were killed in a fire in Comayagua prison, north of the capital Tegucigalpa.
Colombia – ‘No Chance’ for Survivors After Mine Collapse: Rescuers are continuing to search for miners buried in a landslide last week in Santander de Quilichao, Southwest Colombia, though there are no expectations of finding survivors. A dozen bodies have already been recovered from the site, while at least another four remain missing. Mayor Eduardo Grijalba already said on the weekend that there was “no chance” of finding survivors at this stage, with operation now focused on locating the bodies of those trapped. The gold mine did not have a license, and local authorities had tried to close it down on several occasions, the latest in February, but the local community prevented police from stopping operations. According to a recent report from the public prosecutor’s office, illegal mining is present in 70% of Colombia’s territory. These unregulated mines are often dangerous, with BBC Mundo reporting 25 accidents so far already in 2014. “What happened in Santander de Quilichao must not happen again in Colombia,” said Vice President Angelino Garzón this weekend. “One way or another, we must end illegal mining in the country.”
Juan Carlos Varela (photo: Wikipedia)
Panama – Opposition Candidate Wins Presidential Election: Opposition leader and vice president Juan Carlos Varela has been declared the winner of yesterday’s presidential election in Panama. With nearly 90% of votes counted by the Electoral Tribunal, Varela has 39.1% support, comfortably ahead of José Domingo Arias, the incumbent party candidate, with 31.7%. The former mayor of Panama City, Juan Carlos Navarro, is third with 27.8%. Varela joined the ticket with incumbent president Ricardo Martinelli in 2009, and served as foreign affairs minister until 2011, when his dismissal brought down the alliance between Varela’s Partido Panameñista and Martinelli’s Cambio Democrático. Since then, Varela has been one of the most outspoken critics of the administration, accusing Martinelli of corruption. “Today democracy was the winner,” said Varela after being declared victorious, adding that his would be a “humane government of national unity, leading with honesty and transparency.” Martinelli, meanwhile, said he would form part of a “constructive opposition”. With the conservative Partido Panameñista only winning an estimated 11 out of 71 seats up for election, the president-elect will need to seek alliances in the National Assembly. Varela will take over the presidency on 1st July.
The post Latin America News Roundup: 5th May 2014 appeared first on The Argentina Independent.
