Daily Report

Haiti: Did a Dominican contractor give millions to Martelly?

Several construction companies controlled by Dominican senator Félix Bautista have paid a total of more than $2.5 million to Haitian president Michel Martelly ("Sweet Micky") since 2010, according to a March 31 television report by Dominican investigative reporter Nuria Piera. At least two of the companies were awarded major contracts by the Haitian government for rebuilding in Haiti following the January 2010 earthquake: Hadom S.A., which won a $33 million contract to construct a new building for the Parliament, and Roffy S.A., which is getting $174 million for a housing project in the capital's Fort National section. (The ceremony to mark the start of the Fort National project last year was called off because of protests by area residents who demanded greater transparency.)

FARC denies being weakened, rejects "terrorist" label

Colombia's FARC guerillas responded to reports that they have been weakened, and asserted that the rebels' "struggle for a socialist Colombia" is legitimized by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In a video recorded on March 24 and published on YouTube two days later, FARC commander Luciano Marín Arango AKA "Iván Márquez" said "there exists no end to the guerrilla as propagandized by the pawns of the trans-nationalization of the economy of Colombia. What does exist is an intense political and military confrontation and a growing mobilization of the social sectors." The guerrilla leader rejected the FARC's international label as terrorist organization, claiming that "the revolutionary violence, the rebellion against unjust and tyrannic regimes is an irrevocable universal right."

Peru: oil industry blamed in mass dolphin die-off

An estimated 3,000 dead dolphins have washed up on the coast of northern Peru so far this year—an average of 30 per day, and the mysterious die-off shows no sign of slowing. The mass wash-ups were first reported by the Association of Artisanal Fishers in Puerto Eten, Lambayeque. In the past days, over 480 carcasses have washed up in the Chaparrí Ecological Reserve. Carlos Yaipen of the Organization for Conservation of Aquatic Animals (ORCA) says he believes use of "marine bubble" technology in offshore oil exploration is responsible. "The oil companies use different frequencies of acoustic waves and the effects produced by these bubbles are not plainly visible, but they generate effects later in the animals," he told Peru21 newspaper. "That can cause death by acoustic impact, not only in dolphins, but also in marine seals and whales."

Peru: Cajamarca militarized on eve of regional strike

Troops have been mobilized to Peru's northern Andean region of Cajamarca ahead of an announced resumption of the civil strike there in opposition to the Conga gold mining project. Especially militarized are the outlying provinces of Celendín and Hualgayoc, where the project is slated, with some 1,000 National Police agents and 500 army troops having occupied strategic positions in the town centers. While the Cajamarca regional government is strongly backing the protest call, the provincial governments seem to be cooperating with the security forces. In Celendín, provincial authorities have made a sports arena available to the troops as a staging ground, according to Milton Sánchez of the local civil coalition, the Celendina Inter-institutional Platform. An unused jail in Hualgayoc's provincial capital Bambamarca has been similarly opened, according to Edy Benavides, leader of the Hualgayoc Defense Front. Both groups issued statements protesting the troop presence. Stressing the peaceful nature of the struggle, Benavides said, "We do not accept the militarization in our zone, because it has no justifiable reason."

Chile: high court rejects challenge to hydroelectric dam project

The Supreme Court of Chile ruled April 4 that a proposed mega-scale hydroelectric dam complex in Patagonia does not violate the constitutional rights of residents opposing the project. Several environmental advocacy groups, including Chile Sustentable, challenged a ruling of the Court of Appeals of Puerto Montt which refused to issue an injunction to stop the construction of the dam, finding that the project does not violate the constitutional rights of those in opposition. The HidroAysen, a private Chilean venture, seeks to build five dams whose construction was approved by the Chilean government in May 2011. Chile Sustentable expressed disappointment following the ruling but vowed to continue to challenge the project in court, indicating the group is considering bringing a challenge to the project in an international forum.

Juárez drug cartel leader gets life in US consulate killings

José Antonio Acosta Hernández AKA "El Diego"—purported leader of La Linea criminal organization, who has been linked to some 1,500 homicides in Mexico—was sentenced to 10 life terms April 5 in El Paso after pleading guilty to the slayings of three people tied to the US Consulate in Ciudad Juárez. Acosta also admitted ordering the massacre of 15 young people in the Mexican border city's Villas de Salvarcar neighborhood, and a car bombing in downtown Juárez. Acosta also pleaded guilty to racketeering, narcotics trafficking, and money laundering charges. US District Judge Kathleen Cardone sentenced him to seven concurrent life terms, three additional consecutive life terms, and 20 years in federal prison.

Mali: Tuareg rebels declare independence, repudiate Islamists

The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), the Tuareg rebel army which has seized control of Mali's north, declared the independence April 6 of what it called the Azawad nation. "We, the people of the Azawad," the statement reads, "proclaim the irrevocable independence of the state of the Azawad starting from this day..." The military chiefs of 13 of Mali's neighbors met one day earlier in Ivory Coast to hash out plans for a military intervention to push back the MNLA. France said it will offer logistical support for the intervention. The European Union followed Paris' lead in announcing it will not recognize the new state. The intervention pact comes with a move to recognize Mali's besieged military junta. The junta and the West African bloc ECOWAS announced a deal that includes the lifting of sanctions and an amnesty for those involved in last month's coup. (AFP, April 7; AP, April 6)

Kurds split from Syrian opposition council —protesting Turkish pressure

The Kurdish opposition bloc on April 6 walked out of the Syrian National Council at a meeting in Istanbul, after world leaders at the "Friends of Syria" summit urged the factions to unify. Syrian Kurdish opposition leader Abdul-Baki Yousef, a leader of the Kurdish Yakiti party, charged host country Turkey of "pressuring the SNC" to omit the demands of the Kurdish members in the final document outlining a transition plan for Syria. At the summit, Hillary Clinton pledged another $12 million in "humanitarian aid" to the Syrian opposition, although assembled leaders resisted calls from the SNC to arm the rebels. (Daily Star, Lebanon, April 6; McClatchy Newspapers, April 2)

The split comes as pressure is mounting on Turkey's own Kurds. A Turkish court on April 3 agreed to try 193 people accused of having links with the Union of Kurdistan Communities (KCK), which is allegedly the urban wing of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). (Reuters, April 3) A Turkish soldier was killed and another was injured April 4 in clashes with PKK rebels in Hakkari province. The government claims 21 rebels were killed in clashes over the past month. (Daily Star, April 4)

Istanbul, Diyarbakir and Batman saw street clashes on March 18, when, tens of thousands of Kurds massed to celebrate the Kurdish new year Nowruz—in defiance of a government ban. Riot police backed by helicopters and armored personnel-carriers fired tear gas to disperse the crowds. One Kurdish leader and a Turkish police officer died, and hundreds of Kurds were arrested. After the street clashes, PKK commander Murat Karayilan issued a call for civil resistance: "From here on we must stop serving in the Turkish army, paying taxes and using the Turkish language. A new phase has begun." (The Economist, March 24)

See our last posts on the Arab revolutions and the Kurdish struggle.

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