The US approved funds for the countries of the Northern Triangle, but on the condition that they not be allocated to the Army. “We cannot let the US fund the militias that control corruption,” said Guatemalan Congresswoman Norma Torres.
The US Congress passed a bill on December 21 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. .
Approved financial aid for the Northern Triangle should be used only for social projects, fight corruption and preserve the rule of law. The restriction of funds is contemplated in the bill (Omnibus Bill) to fund the remaining months of fiscal year 2021.
“We can’t let the U.S. fund the militias that control corruption,” said Guatemalan-born congresswoman Norma Torres, who pushed for a ban on those funds being used for the military.
And he was even more forceful: “My provision in the spending bill ensures that our military funding does not subsidize the trampling of the rule of law and freedoms in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.”
SEE: Sala bans Bukele from using the Army to pressure the Legislature
Torres, who is a member of the House Assignments Committee, based his initiative on his work it continues to focus on supporting stability and the rule of law in the North Triangle.
The approved project provides for 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 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 American nation’s budget, which serve such as financing for the purchase of weapons, defense equipment and other services.
Militarization of Assembly: The strong international condemnation of the failed coup
CISPES Executive Director Alexis Stoumbelis opined that limiting funding to governments like El Salvador, with authoritarian samples from President Nayib Bukele, is the most appropriate.
“While there is much to regret in this Congressional bill regarding measures for the working class and poor communities in the United States in the face of the pandemic, we see well that members of Congress are restricting military funding to the Salvador, because the behavior of President Nayib Bukele in the last year, aimed at politicizing 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 spreading this message in the months leading up to the El Salvador elections. “
The militarization of the Assembly by the Salvadoran Army, under the command of President Bukele, set off international alarms about the authoritarian tendencies of its management.