ConflictBarometer_2015

THE AMERICAS
gion. In a military operation in VRAEM one week later, security
forces rescued 39 people who had been kept as slaves by
SL for up to 30 years. In a second operation, on August 2,
military and police forces freed further 15 captives in Pangoa
province, Junín region. According to Defense Minister Jakke
Valakavi, the hostages, most of them indigenous Ashanika,
had been forced into manual labor and had been trained
for combat. In early August, police arrested two SL leaders,
namely Alexander Alarcon alias Comrade Renan and Dionisio
Ramos alias Comrade Yuri, in La Convención province, Cusco
region. On September 2, the elite anti-terrorist unit ''Brigada
Lobo'' conducted an operation in Virgen Casa, Ayacucho region,
using three Mi-17 combat transport helicopters and
a Mi-35 helicopter gunship. Deputy Defense Minister Iván
Vega stated that six soldiers were wounded and six guerillas
equipped with PKT machine guns were killed. On October
24, SL blew up a transmitter mast in Puerto San Antonio,
Huancavelica region. Two days later, the Armed Forces Joint
Command declared the area to be under control again, with
aerial and ground patrols controlling the town. mgm
PERU CHILE (BORDER)
Intensity: 1 | Change: | Start: 1883
Conflict parties:
Conflict items:
Peru vs. Chile
territory
The territorial dispute between Peru and Chile continued.
While the implementation of the 2014 ICJ ruling remained
pending due to controversies over the exact coordinates of
the new maritime border, tensions developed with regard to
spying accusations, military exercises at the common border,
and Peru's alleged support for Bolivia in its dispute with Chile
[→ Bolivia Chile (access to sea)].
Peru recalled its ambassador to Chile in March, after issuing
an official complaint on February 20, accusing Chile of spying
on Peruvian naval movements. Peru later accepted an
apology and reinstalled its ambassador on May 5. On June
26, in a meeting with his Bolivian counterpart Evo Morales
in Puno, Peruvian President Ollanta Humala expressed his
''solidarity'' and that both countries dismissed ''threats or the
use of force'' in international disputes. Chile rejected these
remarks and President Michelle Bachelet cancelled a meeting
with Humala planned for the following week. In October,
Chile recalled its ambassador after the Peruvian congress had
voted to form a new administrative district in the land triangle
claimed by both countries. The annual military exercise
''Huracán'' that Chile conducted near the border with Peru
and Bolivia and included more than 5,500 troops, sparked
renewed diplomatic tensions in November. While Morales
called the exercise an ''act of intimidation'' for both Peru
and Bolivia, Peru abstained from using harsh rhetoric in their
commentaries. peh
USA CUBA (SYSTEM)
Intensity: 2 | Change: | Start: 1960
Conflict parties:
USA vs. Cuba
Conflict items: system/ideology, international
power
The conflict between the USA and Cuba over ideology and
international power remained non-violent. The US continued
to uphold commercial, economic, and financial sanctions
against Cuba. However, both countries formally reestablished
diplomatic relations after 54 years and numerous
rounds of negotiations. The most pressing points of
contention were the reopening of their respective embassies
and the removal of Cuba from the US Department of State's
List of State Sponsors of Terrorism.
US President Barack Obama and his Cuban counterpart Raúl
Castro met on April 11 at the Summit of the Americas in
Panama, marking the first meeting of US and Cuban heads
of state in more than 50 years. Obama stated that ''disagreements
about human rights and democracy'' should be
countered by engaging with Cuba. The US announced on July
1 to formally re-establish diplomatic relations on July 20.
Obama called on the Congress to lift sanctions, most notably
the trade embargo.
After 33 years, Cuba was removed from the list of countries
allegedly sponsoring terrorism on May 29. Despite normalization
of relations between the US and Cuba, restrictions
remained in place. Cuba had been submitting annually a resolution
to the UN General Assembly since 1992, demanding
an end to the trade embargo the US had imposed on it in
1960. On October 27, as in every year, only the US and Israel
voted against the resolution. swa
USA MEXICO (BORDER SECURITY)
Intensity: 3 | Change: | Start: 2005
Conflict parties:
Conflict items:
USA vs. Mexico
other
The conflict over border security between the USA and Mexico
continued as a violent crisis. Strategies to end illegal
immigration and cross-border drug and weapon trafficking as
well as the treatment of illegal aliens remained disputed.
On June 18, one Mexican national drowned and another three
were injured in a collision between a boat with 20 illegal immigrants
and a US Customs and Border Protection vessel off
the US coast. US Border Patrol (USBP) personnel had fired
warning shots before stopping the boat from entering the US
near Encinitas in San Diego County, CA. Mexico demanded an
investigation.
On June 5, an FBI-issued statement reported that a USBP helicopter
had been shot at from the Mexican side of the border
forcing it to make an emergency landing. Mexico supported
investigations of the incident. US Representative Henry Cuellar
stated in June that the USBP would receive two UH-60
Blackhawk military helicopters in response to the incident.
The same month, Texas governor Greg Abbott doubled the
budget on border security to USD 800 million for the next
two years.
On October 21, a USBP agent fatally shot a Mexican armed
with a 20 cm long knife at the Calexico Port of Entry, CA. The
officer shot the man four times in the chest. In response, the
Mexican Department of Foreign Relations condemned the
practice of using lethal force against Mexican nationals and
demanded an investigation.
The number of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) dropped
by more than 50 percent as compared to the previous fiscal
year. As was the case in the previous period, most of the UAC
came from Guatemala, followed by Mexico, El Salvador, and
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