Yuliana Ramazzini has an interesting interview in El Faro English with the Guatemalan Defense Minister, Henry Sáenz. He talks about the roll of the Guatemala defense forces today, rooting out corruption within state security forces, how he views the relationship with the U.S., the challenges posed by narco-trafficking, and regional security, among other things.
Since the beginning of his administration in 2024, Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo has become a close ally of the United States, despite the ideological divide between a conservative president like Donald Trump and one who describes himself as a social democrat. They have negotiated economic, immigration, and military agreements. Drug trafficking is one of the United States’ primary concerns, which is why it has pushed the Central American region to combat it from within its own territories. In the case of Guatemala, this involves the presence of U.S. armed forces for infrastructure and border security projects.
In late May, the New York Times and El País published reports about an agreement between the two countries to carry out joint attacks against drug trafficking organizations, sparking controversy when the president denied any such pact existed. Amid the controversy, Guatemala’s Minister of National Defense, Henry Sáenz, denied that there are plans for joint attacks in this interview with El Faro English. But he did highlight the role the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will play in major infrastructure projects and assured that a purge of the Army is underway to eliminate “informants” linked to drug trafficking.
The minister, trained as a Kaibil with an extensive military career, avoids commenting on U.S. bombings in the Caribbean, saying they are “outside national territory.” But he does have something to say about the prison policy of Trump’s closest Central American ally, President Nayib Bukele. He attempts to sell Guatemala’s plans to build its own megaprison as consistent with respect for human rights. “We are not going to build a concentration camp,” he said. “We are going to build a prison following the Mandela Rules.”
While Minister Sáenz assures that cooperation with the United States in the fight against drug trafficking is limited to training, he also hints at what the U.S. seeks to gain from this alliance. “We could be a mirror of a future crisis for the Panama Canal — that there is something certain here in Guatemala,” the minister explained. “Guatemala could be a very viable dry canal.”
You can read the full interview, with links and photos, here, Guatemala’s Defense Chief Thinks He Can Clean Up the Army — and Keep Trump Happy.
Categories: Corruption, Guatemala, Human Rights, Impunity, Justice, Military
Guatemala Solidarity Network 
Post comments here