Marching To The Same Tune

Due to a sudden and alarming spike in criminal violence in February, as a result of mara street gang fighting, President Álvaro Colom has been forced to mobilise troops to support the police. In our view, this seems to be a step back from the planned phasing out of military assistance for police operations - a strategy that drew heavy criticism for Colom's predecessor Oscar Berger. High criminal activity and public unrest weigh heavily on our short-term political risk rating.

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