Last Monday, after being in hiatus for a couple of months, the People’s Revolutionary Army, or EPR, once again struck Mexico’s state-owned oil company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex). And once again, the attack on Mexico’s state-owned oil installations disrupted gas supplies, which caused the latest spike in oil and gas prices. Economically, Pemex and thousands of businesses lost hundreds of millions of dollars in lost production.

According to the Miami Herald, the explosions could be seen miles away, as the flames and black smoke rose above the Gulf coast state of Veracruz. There were no reports of injuries, but over 20,000 people were evacuated from the area as a precaution.

Economic Loses
Due to the lack of fuel because the attack shut down the pipeline running between Mexico City and Guadalajara, Volkswagen de Mexico, Volkswagen’s only manufacturing facility in North America, along with another major auto plant, and over 2,000 companies across the country were forced to shut down or cut back production. Business groups estimate economic losses could total 90 million in US dollars.

Pemex will millions of dollars per day in lost gas sales and will have to spend millions more to repair the damaged infrastructure. This comes at a time when Pemex is already under strain because of a decline in revenue and output from its aging oil fields. Pemex officials are aiming to repair the pipelines and get production back on line by September 17th. However, Economist.com raises concerns if Pemex’s financial constraints could prevent it from making the necessary investments in security at its installations because Pemex officials have already admitted that they are unable to protect it’s massive pipeline infrastructure.

The Spin Game Begins
Some security analysts have suggested a possible alliance between the EPR and drug cartels. Ernesto Mendieta, director of the security consulting firm Aquesta Terra, said that the attacks are similar to the attacks that occur in Columbia, which, according to him, is the proof that they are connected with Mexico’s Gulf drug cartel, the Zetas. Mendieta said:

“There are changes in the variables of how the EPR makes its decisions that are coming from violent elements within drug trafficking, drug distributors, which is a separate group, and others,” said Mr. Mendieta. “These groups are involved in the decision-making process.”

The notion quickly been rebuffed by Ricardo Alemán, a columnist for El Universal, a Mexico City newspaper. Alemán said,

“There is no evidence that they [EPR members] are directly linked to drug trafficking,” adding that powerful drug cartels who buy entire police departments and mayors “don’t need the EPR at this moment.”

However, it seems the government has its own spin on the matter. On Thursday, Attorney General Manuel Medina, said that EPR is a “small group which diverts federal government efforts from confronting organized crime.”

This was quickly rebuffed by EPR. In a communiqué, EPR denied government allegations that its attacks are acts of terrorism, and claimed their demonstrations stem from social and political reclamations or demands. EPR also stated that it is hypocritical of the government to condemn their actions, yet remain silent about State terrorism and allowing the extreme right to reissue its dirty war and the institutionalization of fascism, while having gall to demand that they be prosecuted to the fullest extent permissible by law in name of the democracy and the right of an oligarchical state.

Hay quienes condenan y descalifican nuestro accionar de autodefensa colgándonos el epíteto de delincuentes y terroristas, pero callan y guardan silencio ante el terrorismo de Estado y el proceder de la ultraderecha, avalando en los hechos la reedición de la guerra sucia y la institucionalización del fascismo, llegando al descaro de exigir el castigo y todo el peso de la ley en nombre de la democracia y un estado de derecho oligárquico.

The reference to a “dirty war” is in regards to Mexico’s dirty war in the 1970s, when the army made sweeping roundups of hundreds of people accused of being linked to rebels.

There are recurrent reports of detention of “suspects” whose only connection with anti-governmental activity may be blood relationship with wanted guerrillas; of persons detained extra-constitutionally by military authorities, […] and of prisoners tortured while in detention. Lately, there have been indications also that GOM [Government of Mexico] has murdered some prisoners after extracting all information they have to give…

EPR is still insisting that its two disappeared members, Edmundo Reyes Amaya and Gabriel Alberto Cruz Sánchez, who were arrested by security forces from the streets of Oaxaca city in May are being held in secret prisons or a military camp. This was stated in their communiqué to the Mexican media during the attacks. They stated that the attacks were intended to force the release of two of the group’s leaders held by President Felipe Calderon’s government.

The Fight Continues
The federal government of Mexico and the state government of Oaxaca continue to deny taking the two men, and says they were perhaps killed in a feud between gorilla leaders, many of whom come from three overlapping families who have led guerrilla groups in southern Mexico for decades. The EPR maintains the two men are in clandestine military custody and in one communiqué accuses General Oropeza Garnica of having ordered kidnapping.

The EPR has vowed that their campaign of “politico-military harassment” will continue until the government releases Edmundo Reyes Amaya and Gabriel Alberto Cruz Sánchez. This treat was first made during the first attacks back in July. So far, those were not hollow threats.

On July 28, an EPR commando attacked the site of a prison in construction in Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas. The guerrillas captured the three guards and locked them in a guard booth. They painted slogans on the walls that read “They were taken alive, we want them back alive,” “EPR will win,” “Long live the EPR” and “Freedom for political prisoners.” No injuries were reported in the incident. On Aug 31, over 10,000 people were evacuated from Torre Mayor, Mexico City’s tallest tower, after an attempted car bombing, which ERP took credit.

The attacks come at a time of considerable unrest in Mexico, where it has become clear that the wounds of last year’s the technical coup d’etat still have not healed. While come like to think Andrés Manuel López Obrador is infective should think again. It seems López Obrador’s political party, PRD, is still creating problems for the illegitimate right-wing President Felipe Calderón.

Earlier this month, PRD Congressional members who also do not regard Mr. Calderón’s as the legitimate president were able to use parliamentary rules to keep him from giving his annual address to Congress, and then boycotted the ceremony which he delivered his address in writing.

In addition, they are pushing forward legislation that would strictly control campaign advertising and limit negative ads and would force, Luis Carlos Ugalde, president of the Federal Election Institute, out of office for being part of the technical coup d’etat that helped put Calderón into power.

Meanwhile, tonight, Mexico’s legitimate President, López Obrador, and his followers have promised to invade Mexico City’s historic zócalo to stop Calderón from giving the annual grito to mark the start of Mexico’s revolution against Spain.

¡VIVA MÉXICO!

¡Hasta Victoria Siempre!

Related posts

• The Natives Are Getting Restless Down In Mexico (6)
• The Natives Are Restless: Another Attack on Mexico’s Natural Gas Pipeline (3)
• US Media’s Aggression towards López Obrador (9)
• The Day After: Mexico’s Electoral Chaos (3)
• BushCo Wins Mexico Loses (2)

Tags: EPR, Felipe Calderón, López Obrador, Mexico, Oaxaca, PEMEX |  Print This Post |
functional