Following the January 9 wave of criminal attacks and violence throughout Ecuador, President Daniel Noboa has declared a state of “internal conflict” and has deployed soldiers throughout the nation’s streets. Some experts warn that using soldiers as police on a long-term or semi-permanent basis threatens human rights, weakens democratic civil-military relations, and hasn’t worked against organized crime in most places that it has been tried. Noboa’s move, though, is popular as citizens deal with the shock of the January 9 attacks.

• Annie Correal, Genevieve Glatsky, “Ecuadoreans Split on President’s Drastic New Measure to Combat Drug Gangs” (The New York Times, January 10, 2024).
• Fernando Fuentes, “La Polemica por la Declaracion de “Conflicto Armado Interno” en Ecuador y el Rol de los Militares en el Combate a las Bandas Criminales” (La Tercera (Chile), January 10, 2024).
• “Hamburguesas, Bolon, Cafe, Barras Energeticas y Alimentos en General Donan Empresas y Emprendedores a Uniformados Que Patrullan las Calles de Ecuador” (El Universo (Ecuador), January 11, 2024).
• Gerardo Lissardy, “En Ecuador “Si Siguen Metiendo Gente a la Carcel Van a Seguir Alimentando las Redes del Crimen Organizado”” (BBC News Mundo, El Imparcial (Tijuana Mexico), January 11, 2024).
• Lizeth Escobar, “Luego de Tantos Estados de Excepcion Ya Era Hora de Declarar Como Terroristas a Esas Bandas, Dice el Vicealmirante Angel Sarzosa” (El Universo (Ecuador), January 10, 2024).

Argentina‘s new president, Javier Milei, forced at least 23 of the country’s 35 active generals into retirement, the largest purge since the country’s 1983 transition to democracy. Milei is moving fast to move the armed forces into policing and public security roles, which would reverse reforms of the country’s democratic transition and of the Kirchner presidency of the 2000s. Milei and his security minister, Patricia Bullrich, are pointing to the violence in Ecuador to justify their push to militarize policing.

• “Bullrich Destraba la Intervencion de las Ffaa en Seguridad Interior” (Perfil (Argentina), January 10, 2024).
• Matias Ferrari, “El Gobierno Agita el Caso Ecuador para Justificar la Intervencion de las Ffaa en Seguridad Interior” (Pagina12 (Argentina), January 11, 2024).
• Daniel Santoro, “La Trama Secreta Detras de la Mas Grande Purga en el Ejercito Desde el Retorno de la Democracia en 1983” (Clarin (Argentina), January 1, 2024).
• Natasha Niebieskikwiat, “En el Gobierno Tratan de Justificar la Purga en el Ejercito en la Necesidad de Reducir Costos” (Clarin (Argentina), January 2, 2024).
• Raul Kollmann, “La Purga Libertaria en las Fuerzas Armadas” (Pagina12 (Argentina), January 2, 2024).
• Natasha Niebieskikwiat, “Sorpresa: Javier Milei Paso a Retiro a 22 Generales, en la Purga Mas Grande del Ejercito Desde Nestor Kirchner” (Clarin (Argentina), January 1, 2024).

Mexico‘s Proceso magazine found that military personnel assigned to the country’s new National Guard have been embroiled in many cases of indiscipline, including attacks on fellow personnel and alcohol and drug use. Morale appears to be low among soldiers whom the López Obrador government has assigned to be super-policemen: army and navy sources say that “there is excessive stress in the National Guard because the elements are forced to perform functions that are not theirs, and for which they are not prepared, since they only received four weeks’ training, which is insufficient to be in charge of public security. In addition, most of them have junior high school or high school as their highest level of education.” President Andrés Manuel López Obrador continues to seek legislative ways to place the National Guard under the military’s command, despite a Supreme Court decision stopping that from happening.

• Patricia Davila, “Crimen, Violencia y Suicidios en la Guardia Nacional” (Proceso (Mexico), January 10, 2024).
• Patricia Davila, “Amlo Insiste en Despojar a la Guardia Nacional de su Mascara Civil” (Proceso (Mexico), January 1, 2024).
• “Amlo Dice Que se Cumplira Con la Resolucion de la Scjn: Gn Regresara al Mando de Sspc” (SinEmbargo (Mexico), December 18, 2023).
• Pedro Dominguez, “Guardia Nacional Volvera a Sspc; Sedena Atendera Cuestiones Operativas” (Milenio (Mexico), December 18, 2023).
• Alonso Urrutia, Emir Olivares, “Amlo Busca Acelerar Reformas a la Gn, al Judicial y en el Tema Electoral” (La Jornada (Mexico), December 8, 2023).

Mexico relaunched Mexicana Airlines on December 26 with a flight from Mexico City to Tulum. The airline is now fully controlled by the country’s armed forces.

• “Mexico’s Army-Run Airline Takes to the Skies, With First Flight to the Resort of Tulum” (Associated Press, Associated Press, December 26, 2023).
• Dalila Escobar, “Habra Paquetes de Viajes Con Mexicana, el Tren Maya y Hoteles del Ejercito, Dice Amlo” (Proceso (Mexico), December 15, 2023).

A team of researchers from Mexico City’s Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana published a book contending that the National Guard is being deployed to put down community protests against extractive economic projects like logging and mining.

• Patricia Davila, “Militarizacion y Extractivismo Aplastan los Derechos de las Comunidades” (Proceso (Mexico), December 17, 2023).

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte named a new armed forces chief. When he headed Peru‘s army, Gen. David Ojeda repeatedly sought to avoid testifying before prosecutors investigating abuses committed during a wave of protests against Boluarte’s late 2022 arrival in power. Gen. Ojeda reportedly referred to the protests as “subversive social violence.”

• Jessica Arce, “General David Ojeda Califico de “Violencia Social Subversiva” Protestas Contra Dina Boluarte en 2022” (La Republica (Peru), December 28, 2023).
• Miguel Angel Candia, “David Ojeda: ¿Quien Es el Nuevo Jefe del Cc. Ff. Aa. Que Evito Declarar Contra Dina Boluarte?” (La Republica (Peru), December 28, 2023).
• Miguel Angel Candia, “Gobierno Designa a David Ojeda Como Nuevo Jefe del Comando Conjunto de las Fuerzas Armadas” (La Republica (Peru), December 28, 2023).

The head of Honduras‘s Military Public Order Police (PMOP), which has been tasked with managing prisons, called for a purge of the institution after a military prison director in El Paraíso was caught trying to bring in cash to hand out to inmates who belong to the Barrio 18 gang.

• Daniel Giron, “Jefe de la Pmop Sugiere Depuracion Tras Arresto del Director de la Tolva” (Criterio (Honduras), December 22, 2023).
• Daniel Giron, “Captura de Director de la Tolva Desnuda Colusion de los Militares Con el Crimen Organizado” (Criterio (Honduras), December 16, 2023).

Reporteros de Investigación profiled retired Honduran colonel Elías Melgar Urbina, who “has held several hats in Xiomara Castro’s government,” including some related to the military and human rights, despite serious allegations of past involvement in human rights abuse.

• Jared Olson, Wendy Funes, “Los Narcomilitares Nunca se Fueron de Honduras: La Destitucion de Elias Melgar, un Complot y el Ascenso de los Militares en el Gobierno de Xiomara Castro” (Contra Corriente, December 11, 2023).

Eight judges in Colombia‘s military justice system have been fired in just over a year due to alleged corruption.

• Alexa Garcia-Ditta, “Por Corrupcion, Ocho Jueces Han Sido Destituidos: Director de Justicia Penal Militar” (El Espectador (Colombia), December 20, 2023).

Colombian President Gustavo Petro left generals confused by several last-minute changes to end-of-year promotion lists and unit assignments.

• “El Despelote Que Hay en el Ejercito por la Designacion de los Altos Mandos” (Revista Cambio (Colombia), December 15, 2023).

Bolivia‘s Congress was once again unable to approve a list of senior military and police promotions. Opposition legislators claim that the list is politicized.

• Marco Antonio Chuquimia, “Ascenso de Generales de la Policia y las Ffaa Queda Postergado Hasta la Proxima Gestion” (El Deber (Bolivia), December 21, 2023).

La Tercera interviewed Gen. Paula Carrasco, an air force officer who is now the first woman to reach the rank of general in Chile‘s armed forces.

• Victor Rivera, “General de la Fach, Paula Carrasco: “las Mujeres Tienen Que Estar en Espacios de Mando y Con Esto se Abre la Puerta para Mis Colegas Que Vienen Mas Atras”” (La Tercera (Chile), December 8, 2023).

“Latin America’s armed forces are no longer irrelevant,” which increases the still mostly remote possibility of inter-state conflict in the Americas, the Economist contended.

• “Latin America’s Armed Forces Have Increasing Clout” (The Economist (Uk), December 7, 2023).