Colom Rings More Government Changes

Guatemala's Interior Minister, Francisco Jiménez, was fired from his post in mid January, as President Álvaro Colom continued to ring high level changes on the security front. Jiménez' dismissal followed a series of high-profile departures, including head of the army, Salvador Gándara, and former defence minister Marco Franco. The Colom administration has come under intense pressure from international observers and the electorate to address the country's rapidly deteriorating security situation. There were more than 6,200 recorded murders in 2008, corresponding to a homicide rate of 45 per 100,000. With Guatemala suffering the spill-over effects of cartel violence in Mexico, we

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