By Redacción
redaccion@latinocc.com
Latin America faces a dual test of leadership this week as two high-profile developments unfolded: Mexico’s government moved to quell persistent violence in the western state of Michoacán following the assassination of a local mayor, while in Colombia, leaders from Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean convened for a summit marked by divisions over U.S. military actions at sea.
In Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum announced an expanded federal intervention in Michoacán, including the deployment of nearly 1,000 additional troops and a $3 billion investment in social programs, infrastructure, and intelligence efforts.
The move follows a public outcry after the killing of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Alberto Manzo, shot dead by a 17-year-old gunman during Day of the Dead celebrations, a crime that has reignited national concerns about state-level insecurity and the reach of organized crime.
“This cowardly murder hurts not only his family and his community, but all of Michoacán and the country,” Sheinbaum said during a press conference at the National Palace on Sunday.
With the reinforcements, the total number of federal security personnel in Michoacán will exceed 10,000, according to Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla Trejo.
Half of these forces will focus on containment strategies designed to stop the movement of criminal groups across state borders, a major challenge in a region where drug cartels operate with cross-border fluidity.
Omar García Harfuch, head of the federal security cabinet, emphasized that additional intelligence capabilities will be deployed to strengthen investigations into organized crime groups.
The administration, he said, is committed to pursuing arrests and prosecutions of those responsible for the ongoing violence.
Sheinbaum’s approach contrasts with that of her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whose security strategy emphasized “hugs, not bullets.”
While Sheinbaum has maintained that addressing the root causes of violence—such as poverty, unemployment, and poor access to healthcare—is essential, her administration has signaled a more assertive stance against cartels.
Many of the new investments will go toward social programs, including scholarships to discourage youth from joining criminal organizations.
“Security problems are not solved by force alone,” Sheinbaum said, echoing a familiar theme from her political platform.
Michoacán, a longstanding flashpoint in Mexico’s battle against organized crime, remains critical due to its role as a hub for drug trafficking and chemical importation through the Pacific port of Lázaro Cárdenas.
Beyond drug smuggling, cartels are known to extort avocado and lime growers, as well as local businesses.
In an effort to keep the crisis visible, Sheinbaum pledged to address Michoacán’s security progress biweekly in her morning press briefings.
“To all Michoacán residents, we say: you are not alone. Your president and the entire Mexican government stand with you,” she concluded.
COLOMBIA
Meanwhile, in Santa Marta, Colombia, more than 60 representatives from Latin American, Caribbean, and European countries opened a two-day summit aimed at strengthening multilateral cooperation.
But concerns over U.S. military strikes in regional waters and the absence of high-level European leaders have complicated the agenda.
The summit, part of ongoing dialogue between the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union, was intended to focus on renewable energy, food security, and technological cooperation.
However, it quickly took a more contentious turn following Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s forceful condemnation of recent U.S. operations that have targeted vessels suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean and Pacific.
Those operations, Petro noted, have resulted in more than 60 deaths since September, which he described as “extrajudicial executions.” Among the casualties are at least one confirmed Colombian national, with another Colombian among the few known survivors.
“What are we doing with this meeting in today’s world amidst missiles?” Petro asked in his opening remarks, invoking both the Gaza conflict and U.S. naval actions.
“My wish is for this summit to be a beacon of light amidst the barbarity.”
The summit’s effectiveness has been under scrutiny due to the absence of several senior officials, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Colombian officials attributed the scheduling conflicts to the ongoing UN climate conference. Still, the presence of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva added weight to the event.
European Council President António Costa struck a more conciliatory tone in his remarks, emphasizing cooperation over confrontation.
“We choose dialogue, not division; we choose cooperation, not isolation,” he said, avoiding direct reference to the U.S. strikes.
Lula, a surprise attendee given Brazil’s concurrent hosting of the COP30 climate summit, used his presence to reinforce calls for peace and regional autonomy.
Brazilian diplomats suggested that Lula’s participation was also meant to express solidarity with Venezuela amid lingering tensions with the United States.
The Brazilian government has signaled that Venezuela, which is not a participant in the summit, will likely be a focus of discussion, particularly concerning past threats of U.S. military action and recent boat strikes. Brazilian Ambassador Gisela Padovan acknowledged that the topic was likely to arise, especially from Latin American delegations concerned about U.S. interventionism.
Alexander Main, director of international policy at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, said the summit’s setting—absent direct U.S. involvement—offers a rare platform for regional leaders to engage candidly. “It’s clearly a priority for several governments in the hemisphere,” Main noted.
SUDAN
Intense fighting in central Sudan displaced some 2,000 people over the past three days, the U.N. migration agency said Monday, the latest in a war that has convulsed the country for more than two years and killed tens of thousands.
The International Organization for Migration said the displaced fled from several towns and villages in the area of Bara in North Kordofan province between Friday and Sunday.
Kordofan has been one of two areas, along with the western Darfur region, that recently became the epicenter of the war between the Sudanese army and its rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
The RSF capture of the key city of el-Fasher left hundreds dead and forced tens of thousands to flee to overcrowded camps to escape reported atrocities by the paramilitary force, according to aid groups and U.N. officials. The IOM said nearly 92,000 people have left el-Fasher and surrounding villages.
The war between the RSF and the military began in 2023, when tensions erupted between the two former allies that were meant to oversee a democratic transition after a 2019 uprising.
The fighting has killed at least 40,000 people, according to the World Health Organization, and displaced 12 million. However, aid groups say the true death toll could be many times higher.
Fierce clashes in central Sudan have displaced more than 2,000 people over the past three days, the United Nations’ migration agency said Monday, as the country’s civil war stretches into its third year with no resolution in sight.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the latest wave of displacement occurred between Friday and Sunday in the Bara region of North Kordofan province, where residents fled multiple towns and villages to escape intensifying violence.
North Kordofan, along with the Darfur region in western Sudan, has emerged as one of the central battlegrounds in the ongoing power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Fighting in these regions has escalated in recent weeks, drawing alarm from humanitarian groups and international observers.
The RSF’s recent seizure of el-Fasher, a strategic city in North Darfur, triggered widespread panic and a humanitarian crisis.
Aid agencies and U.N. officials report that hundreds have been killed, while tens of thousands have been forced to flee to overcrowded camps amid reports of atrocities committed by RSF fighters. The IOM estimates that nearly 92,000 people have left el-Fasher and surrounding areas in search of safety.
The conflict, which erupted in 2023, stems from a failed power-sharing arrangement between the army and the RSF, who were once allies tasked with guiding Sudan through a post-revolution democratic transition following the 2019 ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir.
Tensions between the two groups erupted into open warfare, plunging the country into chaos.
