Development: On 10 October President Fernando Lugo of Paraguay decreed a 60-day state of exception for the northern departments of Concepción and San Pedro in order to deploy the military with the aim of defeating the Ejército del Pueblo Paraguayo (EPP) guerrilla group.
Significance: The declaration of the state of exception is an indication that President Lugo has given in to public and political pressure demanding the intervention of the military in the fight against the EPP. However, the stakes are now higher than in April 2010 because the government simply cannot afford not to deliver results over the coming two months; in an attempt to avoid the embarrassing mistakes of last year, when the military and police clashed in a confusing episode, Lugo created a joint task force led by the army.
Key points:
• Though the total size of the military deployment has not been disclosed by government sources, local reports speak of at least 50 military vehicles, including Urutu tanks, joint light tactical vehicles and troop transport trucks, leaving the main army base in Asunción yesterday. President Lugo put Brigadier General Féliz Edgar Aldemir Pedrozo Moreno in charge of the joint police-military task force that will oversee the operation; General Aldo Pastore will represent the police on the task force.
• Lugo’s decree also coincided with a public denunciation by Lilian Samaniego, the president of the main opposition Asociación Nacional Republicana-Partido Colorado (ANR-PC), who claims to have received reports from military intelligence officers regarding an EPP plan to kidnap and murder her. Samaniego says reliable sources told her that the EPP has designed a three-step plan to disrupt political activities ahead of the 2013 vote –allegedly with the aim of preventing the election from taking place- which would include: 1) an attack on a police station ; 2) an attack on a military outpost; and 3) Samaniego’s kidnap and murder. According to the un-named sources, also cited by the local daily ABC Color, Samaniego is an easy target
