Intelligence
Paraguay's first intelligence
service created
The new national
security network is aimed at detecting and neutralizing threats from domestic
and international terrorist groups.
President Horacio
Cartes creates Paraguay's first intelligece service
President Horacio Cartes
signed into law the creation of Paraguay's first National Intelligence System
(Sinai) service with the purpose of “detecting, neutralizing and
counterbalancing the actions of domestic and international terrorist groups,
and of transnational criminal organisations.” The Sinai shall be formed by a
National Intelligence Council (CNI) and a National Intelligence Secretariat
(SNI) reporting directly to the President, according to the decree available on
the web since Wednesday.
The Sinai shall include
the Ministries of the Interior and Defence, the National Antidrugs Secretariat
(Seand) and the Money Laundering Prevention Secretariat (Sprelad) to “gather
and process information domestically and internationally.” It shall “file
bi-monthly secret reports” to the President and to the ministers and
authorities deemed relevant in each case.
In addition to that, the
role of the new body will be “to guarantee peace and the security of the State,
protect national sovereignty, and preserve the [existing] constitutional order
and democratic form of government.” The decree also specifies that the CNI
shall be of advisory nature and will assemble every two months or whenever
summoned by the national Secretary of Intelligence.
The main threats to
domestic security in Paraguay are drug trafficking and the Paraguayan People's
Army - Ejército del Pueblo Paraguayo (EPP) guerrilla group. Paraguay is
considered to be the main producer of marijuana in the region and also a
passthrough spot for cocaine on its way to Europe, Argentina and Brazil, according
to Seand.
Since Cartes became
president in August 2013, the Government has deployed a combined police,
military and antidrug Joint Task Force (FTC) to fight EPP near the Brazilian
border, specially in the districts of Concepcion and San Pedro. The guerrilla
group has reportedly killed 38 people including civilians as well as military
and police officers since 2008 and currently holds hostage Paraguayan police
officer Edelio Morinigo, 24, since July 5…
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