Gabriel Boric sends military to the south and clashes with his communist allies

“It is evident that in recent times we have had an increase in acts of violence on the routes. We have witnessed cowardly attacks.” Thus, escorted by the presidents of the ruling parties and other ministers, the Chilean Minister of the Interior, Izkia Siches, announced the final decision of the government of deploy the armed forces in the South Macrozone of the country, epicenter of the Mapuche conflict.

It was a long road. Just as he anticipated ClarionGabriel Boric’s idea of ​​decreeing an Intermediate State that would avoid applying the State of Exception that his predecessor, Sebastián Piñera, was criticized for so much, failed to attract the support of the government parties, particularly the Communist Party.

This sector opposed any alternative that involved redeploying the military in the conflict zone.

On Monday, the suspension of the political committee with the Palacio de La Moneda – a meeting where the government organizes the week with its parties – gave the first indications that relations within the official pact were complex.

The appointment was rescheduled for the afternoon and the government arrived with a decision made: before the impossibility of advancing in an alternative solution, decree the State of Constitutional Exception.

The communists, resigned to the presidential decision, asked Boric and his Minister of the Interior that the deployment of the Armed Forces be limited to the routes and roads of the area, and not to the entire territory. The request was accepted and the measure was reported to the public as a “limited” State of Exception.

Difficult decision

It was not an easy decision for the Chilean president. When he assumed his government, on March 11, he announced his decision not to renew the decree that kept the area militarized, after his predecessor decided to deploy the army four months earlier.

“We are not going to extend the state of emergency in Wallmapu. Assuming command, there is no possibility of extending the state of emergency in the south,” the new government spokesperson, Camila Vallejo, said on that occasion.

However, as recognized in La Moneda, the evidence of the systematic increase in arson attacks and public attacks made the decision inevitable.

The dialogue did not advance with the expected speed and the armed groups that claim the struggle of the Mapuche people in the area have decided raise threats and escalate conflict.

Héctor Llaitul, leader of the Coordinadora Arauco Malleco (CAM), an organization that has claimed responsibility for the latest terrorist attacks in the area, urged last Thursday “to prepare the forces, to organize armed resistance for the autonomy of the territory and autonomy for the Mapuche nation”.

With all the antecedents on the table, and bound by the commitment with the truckers’ union to take action on the routes in the area, the government had no choice but to use the only tool that the current constitution establishes for military deployment: the state of exception.

“We have decided to make use of all the tools of the State to provide security to our citizens, decreeing a State of Emergency to protect the routes in the province of Arauco and Biobío, and in the Region of Araucanía, to allow the free movement of people, the supply and the execution of policies that can improve the quality of life of the inhabitants of these territories”, said Minister Siches on Monday night.

The official decree has already been drafted by the government and Clarion had access to the text. The official letter establishes the appointment of the Chiefs of National Defense appointed by the President, Rear Admiral Jorge Parga in Arauco and Biobío and Brigadier General Edward Slater in La Araucanía, who will have the mission of “assuming command of the Armed Forces. AA. and Public Order and Security” in those areas.

Additionally, the objective of the militarization of the area is demarcated. “To ensure public order and to repair or prevent the damage or danger to national security that has given rise to said state, and must observe the administrative powers of the institutional authorities placed under its jurisdiction, especially those of the respective Regional Presidential Delegates “.

However, the decree would also allow the presence of the army to be increased beyond the highways if necessary, since it leaves the door open to “dictating measures for the protection of works of art and public utility services, mining centers, industrial and others”.

In addition, it would allow the generation of “all the instructions for the maintenance of internal order within the zones, always within the framework of respect for Human Rights and in accordance with the Rules of the Use of Force (RUF)”.

Santiago, special

CB