Nicaragua: On 10 November US President Joe Biden signed into law the ‘Reinforcing Nicaragua’s Adherence to Conditions for Electoral Reform (Renacer) Act’ which would “dramatically increase US diplomatic engagement” in Nicaragua, according to a press release by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. According to the communiqué the new legislation is “in response to the government of Daniel Ortega’s continued use of repressive tactics to intimidate, inhibit or arrest every aspiring opposition candidate ahead of the scheduled [general] elections in November”. Among other things it requires the US government to “increase sanctions on key actors in the Ortega regime that are undermining prospects for democratic elections in Nicaragua, and expand sanctions coordination with Canada and the European Union”. It also calls for the US executive to open a formal review to determine whether Nicaragua should be allowed continued participation in the US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (Cafta). Additionally, the bill requires increased intelligence reporting on Russian activities in Nicaragua and a review of Russian arms sales to Nicaragua for potential sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). His signing into law of the act follows the 7 November general election, which produced a victory for Ortega but was widely slammed by the international community as undemocratic.
Mexico: On 5 November the US Department of State announced reward offers of up to US$5m each for information leading to the arrest or conviction of four Mexican drug traffickers operating in the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sinaloa. The four are: Aureliano Guzmán Loera, the brother of Joaquin Guzmán-Loera, former leader of the Sinaloa drug trafficking organisations; and brothers Ruperto, José and Heriberto Salgueiro Nevarez, who all operate under the umbrella of the Sinaloa Cartel federation. The four are charged in US indictments for violation of US drug laws, including international conspiracies to distribute marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl. This reward offer complements the US Department of Justice (DoJ)’s announcement of indictments charging the four men for violating international narcotics trafficking laws. One of the indictments alleges the trafficking of fentanyl.
Peru: On 10-11 November US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman travelled to Peru where she met virtually with Peru’s President Pedro Castillo from Lima, while the president was visiting rural communities in Ayacucho, Peru. According to a US State Department (DoS) press release the two “discussed issues important to the US-Peru bilateral relationship, including growing bilateral opportunities for trade and investment, advancing human rights, promoting inclusive economic growth, and combating the climate crisis.” While in Peru Sherman also met the president of congress, María del Carmen Alva Prieto, and Foreign Minister Óscar Maúrtua with whom she discussed “opportunities for progress under the Build Back Better World Initiative, how the US and Peru can work together to address the climate crisis, and the two countries’ shared commitment to human rights and democracy”. According to the DoS press release Sherman and Maúrtua also “exchanged diplomatic notes to officially implement the Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue Agreement between the US and Peru” while Sherman also thanked Maúrtua for Peru’s welcoming of more than one million Venezuelan migrants.
Uruguay: On 7-9 November US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman travelled to Uruguay’s capital Montevideo, where she met senior government officials. On 9 November she met President Luis Lacalle Pou, with whom she discussed the importance of the “strong US-Uruguay bilateral relationship for promoting economic growth, regional security, and clean energy investment, among other areas”, according to a US State Department press release. According to the same source Sherman “expressed appreciation for Uruguay’s leadership on defending democracy and human rights in the region as well as Uruguay’s regional and global leadership on environmental protection and combating the climate crisis”. During Sherman’s visit she also met ministers of foreign affairs (Francisco Bustillo); economy (Azucena Arbeleche); and interior (Luis Heber), as well as private sector leaders from the renewable energy industry to discuss opportunities for bilateral cooperation on clean energy development in Latin America.