Mexico: The role of the Army in fighting narcotics

(To Maria Grazia Labellarte)
16/03/17

When, at about ten years ago, the Mexican president, Felipe Calderon, gave the mandate to theEjercito of "leading role" in the fight against drug trafficking, the number of soldiers added to those already dedicated to the program started in the 2005, reached the 50.000 units. Even today they are deployed throughout the territory.

The desire to stop the violence caused by the scourge of drug trafficking was almost a personal mission for Calderon; it was he who, only a few years after the start of his mandate, asked for US intervention to counter the action of the cartels. This request brought concrete results with well 100 fugitives extradited thanks to the collaboration of the FBI.

However, in recent years, the violence of cartels has increased, making some areas of Mexico real war zones, such as those of Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez. The main reasons for this escalation are attributable to the internal struggles between the cartels themselves, aimed at holding leadership in the country or acquiring the exclusive right to export drugs to the USA. Due to this social framework, gangs have at the same time transformed themselves into paramilitary organizations, causing murders to increase exponentially. 

The current administration of Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has decided to move away from Calderon's strategic military approach and to focus on strengthening institutions and integrating all security forces. His program would still be focused on dismantling the various "leadership of the cartels" by increasing the fight against money laundering from traffic. 

It must be said, however, that between 2016 and 2017 in Mexico there has been a considerable increase in discontent in the Army cadres, who are still at the forefront of city streets and rural areas. Shaken by ancient moods that have become more evident today and complaining about the difficult distinction between police missions and those strictly military, the world with stars claims merits and asks for clarity on its active role in the program to fight narcos.

As a former head of international operations would have declared Drug Enforcement Administration, "the use of the military to conduct police operations would actually be a violation of the Mexican Constitution".

General Cienfuegos himself, Secretario de la Defensa Nacional de Mexico, he would have repeatedly expressed that theEjercito he would no longer be able to continue taking on this role. The discontent would be based on the fact that the military professional training would not be suitable to overlap with that of the police forces, evidently more in keeping with the role requested by the President himself.

In addition to internal criticisms on the professional training of the military and the inadequacy of soldiers to carry out police operations, there are numerous national and international reports that highlight violations of human rights and violence, with accusations concerning the military also extended to the practice of torture. In some cases there has also been talk of desertions to enter the ranks of the narcos.

Cienfuegos admitting an ever-decreasing motivation of the military to take actions to combat drug trafficking, asked for a legal framework to regulate them.

A possible legalization of the Armed Forces against the drug would however exacerbate the minds of many experts, no longer willing to continue in office, to say the truth considered by the governments of the last decade only a temporary solution. 

(photo: Mexican army)