China’s Network of Ports Grows in Latin America
According to a late 2022 study by the U.S.-based national security and defense think tank Center for a Secure Free Society (SFS), the number of Chinese-owned or operated ports worldwide has increased considerably. China’s foothold in some 40 ports in Latin America from Peru to Mexico, combined with 11 satellite [ … ]
Colombian Security Forces Dismantle Illegal Mine in the Amazon
The Colombian security forces closed 2022 dealing a major blow to illegal mining and the activities of transnational criminal organizations in the jungles of the department of Guainía, in the Colombian Amazon, after finding a large illicit gold mining area. Authorities estimated that the quantity of gold obtained from this [ … ]
Brazilian Navy Assumes Leadership of Colombian Demining Group
The Brazilian Navy is leading the Organization of American States’ (OAS) Group of Inter-American Monitors in Colombia (GMI-CO), tasked with assisting the Colombian national demining plan. Brazilian Marine Corps Colonel Leonel Mariano da Silva Junior took on the leading role in a ceremony held in November 2022, at the OAS [ … ]
Iran’s Tentacles Threaten Latin America
On January 11, the Iranian Navy announced plans to expand military operations to the Panama Canal later in the year to strengthen its presence in international waters, state-run The Tehran Times reported. According to experts, the move is a sign that the Islamic country seeks to strengthen ties with its [ … ]
Venezuela’s NGOs and Independent Media Unite Against Disinformation
Independent digital media and civil society organizations in Venezuela have joined forces to confront disinformation through the recently created Coalición Informativa C-Informa (Informative Coalition). “Venezuelan citizens are each day becoming more and more victims of disinformation,” whether due to the regime censorship of traditional or digital media, the forced disappearance [ … ]
Colombian Army Has First female Huey II Helicopter Pilot
At just 26 years old, Colombian Army First Lieutenant Katherine Romero is the first female Huey II helicopter pilot and one of the first women pilot in the institution. A native of Ibagué in western Colombia, 1st Lt. Romero, from Aviation Battalion No. 5 of the Air Assault Aviation Division, [ … ]
China’s Belt and Road Initiative Loses Steam
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which China adopted in 2013 to develop land and maritime infrastructure projects in less developed countries of Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Central and Eastern Europe, appears to be falling short of its original objectives, Forbes reported in late November 2022. [ … ]
8 of the Top 10 Companies Involved in Illegal Fishing Are Chinese, Study Says
Eight of the 10 companies responsible for nearly 25 percent of known illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing are from China. So says a recent report by the Financial Transparency Coalition (FTC), a global network of civil society, governments, and experts. According to the study, China and its state-owned companies [ … ]
Panama and SOUTHCOM Bring Support to 22 Indigenous Communities
With the support of the U.S. Embassy in Panama and units of U.S. Southern Command’s (SOUTHCOM) Joint Task Force Bravo (JTF-Bravo), the Panamanian government brought humanitarian assistance to 22 hard-to-reach indigenous communities as part of humanitarian exercise Mercury IV, November 30-December 14, 2022. “The cooperation with the U.S. Embassy and [ … ]
Peru and Bolivia Strengthen Border Security
During the Tenth Ordinary Meeting of the Binational Border Commission (Combifron) Peru-Bolivia carried out in the Bolivian city of la Paz, in late 2022, authorities coordinated actions against security threats such as the fight against drug, arms, and human trafficking; organized crime; smuggling; contraband; and illegal mining. The Combifron is [ … ]
Russia and Nicaragua Agree on Cybersecurity Cooperation
Russia and Nicaragua have signed a cybersecurity cooperation agreement for the 2022-2026 period, Nicaragua’s Official Gazette indicated. The agreement was made in Managua following cybersecurity meetings. “They say that they seek to do it peacefully but seeing the situation we are living today at the global level, it sounds more [ … ]
FAO Intensifies Fight Against IUU Fishing
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) has the backing of 100 countries ready to step up the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, FAO said in a November 7 statement. [caption id="attachment_79437" align="alignright" width="300"] Front, from left: Ecuadorian Army Major General [ … ]
