The US has approved funding for the countries of the Northern Triangle, but on the condition that it does not join the army. “We cannot let the United States fund militias that control corruption,” Guatemalan Congresswoman Norma Torres said.
On December 21, the US Congress approved a bill for economic support for the countries of the Northern Triangle, but which specifically limits military funding to the governments of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala as one of its main conditions.
Economic aid approved for the Northern Triangle should only be used for social projects, the fight against corruption and the rule of law. The restriction of funds is provided for in invoice (omnibus bill) to finance the remaining months of fiscal year 2021.
“We cannot let the United States fund the militias that control corruption,” said Guatemalan Congresswoman Norma Torres, who promoted the provision to ban the use of these funds for the military.
And it was even stronger: “My provision in the draft spending guarantees that our military funding does not subsidize the violation of the rule of law and freedoms in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.”
SEE: The Chamber forbids Bukele from using the army to put pressure on the Legislature
Torres, who is a member of the House of Representatives Credit Committee, based his initiative on this work. continues to focus on supporting stability and the rule of law in the Northern Triangle.
The approved project provides a total of $ 55.505 billion for state programs related to foreign operations, which include a $ 9 billion item under the concept of International Security Assistance.
US Congress “Sends Message Against Bukele’s Authoritarian Practices”
While the Committee on Solidarity with El Salvador (CISPES) applauded the decision of the United States Congress to limit El Salvador’s access to foreign military aid funds from the United States budget, which serve as funding for the purchase of weapons, defense equipment and other services.
Militarization of the Assembly: strong international condemnation of the failed coup
CISPES Executive Director Alexis Stoumbelis said limiting funding to governments such as El Salvador, with authoritative views from President Nayib Bukele, is most appropriate.
“While there is much to regret in this Congressional bill on measures for the working class and poor communities in the United States in the face of the pandemic, we see that members of Congress are restricting military funding in El Salvador, because President Nayib Bukele’s behavior in the last year , which aims to politicize the security forces, is worrying, “he said.
Stoumbelis added that “with these cuts, members of Congress are trying to send a message against the Bukele administration’s practices of attacking democratic institutions, human rights defenders and the independent press; and we are organizing to continue to spread that message in the months leading up to the elections in El Salvador. ”
The militarization of the Assembly by the Salvadoran army, under the command of President Bukele, has triggered international alarms about the authoritarian tendencies of his administration.