Early on Friday U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents opened fire on a fishing boat in the Honduran state of La Mosquitia. They mistakenly believed that the boat was trafficking drugs. Two pregnant women and two men were killed, with four others wounded.
The U.S. war on drugs is a failure. This latest incident is only a minor example of the devastation that U.S. drug policy, in coordination with Central American state governments, has had on those who are trapped in the violence.
The people who fish for lobster along the eastern coast of Central America are already an extremely poor population whose job is extremely hazardous. It's unacceptable that, on top of the other dangers they face, they face the danger of being murdered by U.S. troops.
The steps that are needed to eliminate incidents like this one are many, and the U.S. government is unlikely to take them any time soon. Despite a growing consensus among Latin American governments that decriminalization and regulation of drugs is the most effective way to end the drug-related violence that is devastating countries like Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala, and Colombia, the United States continues to focus on military solutions in producing and transit countries. Since 2008, the United States has given $361 million dollars to Central American governments for the purpose of fighting drug trafficking, and is looking to give more. Much of this money goes to Honduras, where a military coup ousted the democratically-elected president in June, 2009, exacerbating the fragility of institutions in this country.
Journalists have been one group that has suffered after the coup, with more than 20 journalists murdered since the coup almost three years ago, including two in the last two weeks.
The U.S. drug war does not make Honduras a freer society, it does not protect civilians, it does not strengthen institutions; in fact, just the opposite is true. The U.S. drug war assists in repression, murders civilians, and allows those in power to operate with impunity.
hey mark - i wasn't sure how to get in touch with you other than a comment - thought you might be interested to know of an organization in honduras that a friend from pgh has been working with.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.casitacopan.org/
p.s. i appreciate your posts - when i can't travel and see things myself, it means the world to be able to have someone else's eyes and words to find out what's going on.