Mexico Gives Army Control Of National Guard, Sparks Clash With U.N

[Judi Lynn]

By Diego Ore
09/09/22 AT 3:15 PM

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Friday defiantly dismissed criticism from a top U.N. official and domestic adversaries after Congress backed his plan to give the Army control over the civilian-led National Guard.

By a margin of 71 to 51, senators early on Friday passed a bill ceding control of the National Guard to the Army, which has fed concerns about the militarization of public security. There were two abstentions. Mexico's lower house of Congress had approved the legislation last week.

The National Guard began operating in early 2019 at the behest of Lopez Obrador, who campaigned for office on a pledge to return the military to barracks after the years it had spent combating violent drug gangs. This week he said he had changed his mind about using the Army to keep the peace.

He argued the National Guard would end corruption under its predecessor, the Federal Police, and he has also extended the Army's remit into other areas of civilian life.

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https://www.ibtimes.com/mexico-gives-army-control-national-guard-sparks-clash-un-3611379