* Periodic Impulse
**
March 14, 2009
an armed group to be considered as such, is bound to act militarily, but when this happens, doubts and suspicion overshadow anything else that defines it. This is the case of North Armed Movement (MAN), which recently claimed the helicopter sabotage of the National Water Commission (CNA) in which carrying the owner of that body, José Luis Luege Tamargo. Therefore, in this case is in doubt the veracity of both issues: the existence and authorship.
Known about the MAN from the first of January this year for three releases and a military part and while secured in the first one that its existence dates back to 2006 can not register a prior action under another name. In his writings
also fails to accurately decipher their ideology, because the wording used is unclear, but may be a deliberate strategy. However, there are at least two definitions that are useful to attempt a tentative approach. In the first of his texts ("Declaration of War", January 1) states that "initiate action against the Government of Mexico, sabotaging its fragile political system, more no country's economic productivity. "
This is a very clear reference to the explosions produced by the Popular Revolutionary Army (EPR) against the pipelines of Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) in July and September 2007 and gained momentum when a few paragraphs down is in breach when he underlines that "is willing to continue and if so to start work with the various armed groups and movements and the Left, both in Mexico and Latin America, and that our struggle is the same." In the following letter ("Second release of MAN", 24 January), an endorsement can be read almost in identical words that definition.
A second element that stands out above the rest is the emphasis on the work of infiltration (of any underground organization itself) and other features of subversive war alongside the development of new tools to carry out these tasks, movement defined as "revolutionary" new generation. Particularly in its second article also said: "Our movement was born with the conviction that the revolutionary wars in the world have changed and today the armed struggle against the state have other elements, ie, the insurgent forces and do not move en masse and not collectively face the Regular Forces. Due to this, and aware that the number of guns and fighters and do not make a significant difference, our Movement operates on the elements of the infiltration, using the arms of the Information, Information Warfare Weapons, Weapons of Political Warfare, Weapons of Legal War and Weapons of sabotage, which are these ever more painful for the state. "This, however, is not a novelty from the Mexican guerrillas.
In fact, in today's Mexico guerrilla avoids direct confrontation (particularly since 2000) does not control territory and neither have it, but that drives the development of cells with a high degree of autonomy (the MAN ago some reference to this issue), non-territorial, with capacity for mobilization in different parts of Mexico (apparently unrelated to each other) without betting on a settling in regions that historically have been present and exploring new places for the development of their actions and policies. In this regard, blowing up pipelines PEMEX occurred in areas where the guerrillas have not been present (at least this "new generation" of organizations) and has been a sort of baptism of fire in this mode.
The current guerrilla territories but does not release that briefly passes and one of the reasons is that the drug and criminal gangs dominate these geographies. Technological advances applied to the counter, his weakness after the divisions and state stalking for joint operations are other factors that precipitated the use of such resources and movements.
In his third statement ("position against drug trafficking and militarization," Feb. 25) are not definitions about how to end the drug, although devoted an entire text on the subject and militarization. Text dealing with complaints and distance themselves from this scourge, but if it's an organization where its geographical area is north of the country, this is not enough. What's more is expected of such an organization definitions more robust and conclusive, as the threat is nearby. Report militarization may well prove another statement facade and is one of the aspects that the MAN should be clarified to ensure credibility and show that really is what it says and nothing else, this, too, because the non-militarization is only an obstacle to the guerrilla organizations. But the more complex issue is the sabotage of the helicopter, because this not real enough to consider its existence or authorship. On the contrary, examples abound where the action is not enough for a definition: a couple of years ago, another group that met some writings Forces Armed Southeast (FAS), claimed the downing of the helicopter carrying the governor of Oaxaca, Ulises Ruiz Ortiz. Much further back, between 1999-2000, another group, the Frente Amplio del Sur (FAS again but can not be considered to be dealing with the same initials), also claimed a similar action, but this time in Campeche.
These cases tend to confirm the existence of previous examples but over time did little to elucidate the phenomenon was registered but the fact that those groups never was heard. In fact, not to speak publicly again. Therefore, the veracity of the claim as well as the character "revolutionary" have been hopelessly diluted.
Nothing less than their claims are being called into question: MAN actually sabotaged the helicopter? In a region crisscrossed by various acts of violence, but where the drug premium and organized crime, the existence and actions of a guerrilla organization are factors that will come, inevitably, on distrust. Their continued existence in doubt, as many other ads with similar characteristics, but in this case even more, because the claim itself can project an image of strength, determination and operation but in parallel rather increases distrust of credibility. Continuity over time, the social and popular call which commands around, and in the short term, the detailed explanation of the reasons and supporting political projects are tasks facing all revolutionary organization is defined as the MAN himself .
In this sense, because the drug traffickers and criminal gangs have been, and continue to do so, various non-traditional forms of expression and action (the narcobanners is just one of them, perhaps the most striking, but by no means the only) is possible to equate this situation to other expressions that can be observed equally in other parts of the republic.
Other cases, it is worth recognizing are coarser, also take stands that at first sight or carelessly can be characterized as revolutionary but which actually have nothing to do with political or social ideals.
For all this, the MAN did not break with his ghostly condition or ephemeral. Only the continuity of its production policy will resolve this situation, meanwhile, will be considered an isolated event that will raise suspicion, subjected to all kinds of speculation and to be linked to other phenomena. Moreover, even when they show that their scope should not be bounded to the local reality, if their existence and authorship are real then the state policies and / or regional are not enough to explain his presence at such a conflict.
Moreover, the objective (sabotage or attack) is the national advocacy, as they say in his second statement, and even the claim argued in his writings also wants to look the same scope. Moreover, if again we consider this to be true, then it must be addressed in two months became a threat risk. Attack a human target, sabotage of the helicopter, although not entirely clear in his text ("Press Release, March 3) whether it was sabotage or an attack, which is not the same sabotage the machine by a shot tear it down, is a considerable change in what it refers to the illegal act but does not define for itself the property of the action. A white man, an officer in this case, it is not the same as attacking other goal: it expresses a political one completely different. And although they note that prevented the death of innocents can never be under control in an action of this nature this very sensitive issue.
As cyclical data (whose intrinsic value is only that) remains to understand that if it is true that the MAN was announced earlier this year, The claim of responsibility occurs almost simultaneously with the visit of Chief of Joint Staff of the U.S. to the country, Admiral Michael Mullen, who met privately with the secretaries of the Navy and the Mexican National Defense, where he emphasized that Mexicans need support in understanding, skills and tactics that have evolved for us in our fight against terrorist networks in the world "(Reforma, March 7).
addition to this, include an error, or definitely a contradiction between the time of drafting the final text and sabotage. This is dated March 3, and notes on time, which was written purposely days after the fact. But mention that the sabotage took place on 28 February, which can be determined with the journalistic and even the CNA Web site (which also describes the specifications of the helicopter that mentions the MAN in his text), ie three days earlier. His argument is "not to demonstrate the operation and the elements involved in it." But that same stress that "the MAN recognized to be an actor of such events that constitute the new war made five days after." The 5 day meet is the fifth since the bombing, was the day that the text was distributed via email, but the authorship is dated two days earlier. In the midst of so much suspicion, that is a fact not lost.
But if it is a staging, which always demands the widest possible dissemination, the MAN is little or nothing to what has been said and said, both in Mexico and the U.S.. Moreover, if the most striking fact was the claim of responsibility for the sabotage, he has not transcended almost any media.
Five or six years ago, another group that was announced as a guerrilla in the same areas as now done by the MAN, the Regional Reconstruction Army (which had to make a list of politicians putting "price to head ") suffered the same fate and, closer in time and contemporary in this group, Citizens for Juarez Command, which drew attention to indicate their intention to kill an offender per day, also appears to have been forgotten, at least for now. Resta to note that on the group and its claim, the authorities have not established its position as shown or in other situations, reserving only to qualify the incident as an "accident" and that its causes "are evaluated and dictated by the corresponding ( CNA, Press Release No. 027-09, 28 February).
The fight against drug trafficking and organized crime, particularly in the north, dominate the information about the region that regularly win the eight columns and tend to "contaminate" the rest of the events, where this case is no exception. And for the MAN is particularly negative, which will link with the drug prior to define it as guerrillas.
* Researcher, Center for Documentation of Armed Movements ( www.cedema.org ). **
Mexico State Journal. On the Internet, the article is available as a PDF file on page http://cedema.org/ver.php?id=3130 .
