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Development: On 3 May, Uruguay's armed forces commander, General Jorge Rosales, officially dismissed General Luis Pérez, allegedly following a personal dispute.

Significance: Pérez is Uruguay's most senior general, who until now was in charge of the army's First Division, the country's largest. His unexpected dismissal ahead of the Uruguayan army's bicentennial celebrations exacerbates the institutional crisis in the forces following the controversy over the imminent repeal by congress of the ‘Ley de Caducidad' (due for a final vote in the chamber of deputies on 19 May).
  
Key Points:

• Initially, local media reported that Rosales had dismissed Pérez over comments he made about the government's support for repealing the controversial amnesty law. Press reports quoting unnamed military sources said that upon learning of Perez's criticisms, Rosales asked him to submit a formal transcription of his comments. Subsequently, Rosales issued an order to relieve Pérez from his duties and called for his immediate arrest.  

• However, this version of events was quickly denied by the army in a statement explaining that Pérez's dismissal answered to "service reasons". The latest press version is that Pérez had long had a problematic relationship with Rosales. Rosales's decision not to put Pérez in charge of the upcoming 18 May parade to commemorate the army's bicentennial prompted Pérez to remark that under Rosales the army acted with "a lack of authority and a lack of responsibility".

• After issuing the orders, Rosales immediately informed Defence Minister Luis Rosadilla and President José Mujica of his decision and explained that he had taken it "because there was a situation of disloyalty and lack of respect for the chain of command". President Mujica accepted Rosales's decision but ordered him to scratch the arrest order, on the grounds that it went beyond what was required. The government has been criticised by the opposition, which claims that it should have been consulted before any decision was taken.

• Pérez, who had at least two more years left in service, admitted to longstanding differences with Rosales but was adamant that "the issue was not political, nor did it answer to the ‘Ley de Caducidad'". "I am going home and he [Rosales] will remain commander for five months until he leaves", he stated, in apparent allusion to rumours that the repeal of the amnesty law could prompt Rosales's resignation, creating an even bigger leadership crisis in the forces.

Development: On 3 May, a group of six presumed members of the Brazilian criminal gang Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) escaped from a prison in the border town of Pedro Juan Caballero (PJC), Paraguay, after an armed attack by a group of 15 men.

Significance: The PCC's presence in Paraguay is considered an important threat to bilateral security. The prisoner escapes may prompt more intense scrutiny of Paraguay's prison system, not only by the local authorities but also by Brazilian authorities. There are indications that the attack was also coordinated from inside the facility.

Key Points:

• Olga Blanco, Paraguay's director of penal institutions, confirmed that "it was a rescue operation of six people apparently linked to the PCC". Blanco noted that the inmates were "ready" to escape. The local police chief, Jorge María Miranda, announced that two guards and four prostitutes who were at the prison outside of visiting hours had been arrested. Miranda stated that the women were "partying with the inmates before they were freed".

• More problematically, the local anti-drug prosecutor, Justiniano Cardozo, revealed that he knew about the operation and had alerted prison authorities the previous day. This prompted Interior Minister Rafael Filizzola to launch a full investigation. Filizzola announced that the police will also launch an operation, with the help of Brazilian authorities, to capture the fugitives. A wide avenue separating PJC from the neighbouring Brazilian city Ponta Porá acts as a (very porous) border.

• Among the fugitives are the suspected perpetrators of an armed attack on a local Partido Liberal Radical Auténtico senator, Robert Acevedo. Commenting on the break, Acevedo said, "I saw it coming". He also expressed doubts that it was "an armed commando operation", describing it as a "controlled delivery". According to Acevedo, the prison director Catalino Díaz, who he accused of having links with the PCC, had delayed the inmates' pending extradition to Brazil in order to allow for their "rescue".