A new decree by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, that has expanded and consolidated the powers of the country's armed forces, has been slammed by human rights activists, who have accused Amlo of militarising the state, according to the Guardian.
According to the document published on 11 May, the president was free to “dispose of the Permanent Armed Force in public security tasks in an extraordinary, regulated, supervised, subordinate and complementary manner”, citing the need for the newly founded National Guard to fully develop its structure and capabilities, while keeping the population protected. The army and navy are also now permitted to carry out “public security tasks”, in the absence of a federal police force, which was disbanded when Obrador came to power, a move has been heavily criticised by the president’s opponents, citing fears about possible breaches of human rights.
“In effect, the army and navy are going to be handling police duties until 2024”, said the director of the Human Rights Centre in Mexico City, Santiago Aguirre, as quoted by the Guardian. “[Both] have a long history of not being accountable, especially in cases of serious human rights violations”.
The National Guard was created in 2019 by uniting former federal, military and naval officers and has been key in enforcing immigration policy. However, at the same time, Amlo has relied heavily on the armed forces for various tasks, including construction. According to some Mexican analysts, such as Falko Ernst from the International Crisis Group, the president’s “dependence on the armed forces” has been growing steadily.
Despite Amlo's efforts, crimes rates in Mexico hit a new record in March 2020, with 2,585 homicides recorded, the highest number since 1997. That gloomy statistic was almost mirrored last month, despite ongoing lockdown restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, with 105 homicides registered across the country on 19 April, a record for the year to date.