Welcome back to This Week in Peace, our weekly summary of events in global peacebuilding.
This week, there has been non progress on finding a peaceful end to the war in Gaza, as civilians continue to suffer one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. In Mexico, a group of Catholic bishops attempted to negotiate peace between organized crime groups and the government. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister met with his Chinese counterpart, urging Beijing to join Ukraine’s peace efforts. In Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro’s government expelled a UN human rights agency, in a blow to hopes for a peaceful and democratic future.
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Bishops work towards peace in Mexico
Mexico continues to experience significant conflict, as drug trafficking organizations fight each other for control of territory and smuggling routes, and confront the federal and state governments. In an attempt to find a peaceful resolution, a group of Catholic bishops recently met with cartel leaders. The talks were unsuccessful, but received the approval of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. López Obrador was elected promising “hugs not bullets”, aiming to present an alternative to the previously militarized drug war. However, during his term violence has not markedly decreased, with criminal organizations maintaining their hold on territory.
The military has become more prominent than ever before, continuing its role in fighting criminal groups. The expansion of the military into the civilian arena, with López Obrador tasking it with everything from fixing highways to running a state-owned airline, has raised some concerns, especially given its previously apolitical nature. While unlikely to lead to any short-term change, the public support given to the recent talks is a positive sign, as it received public support from López Obrador and Pope Francis, and could help lead to more coverage of peacebuilding initiatives.
Ukraine continues to urge China to help find peace
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi this week at the Munich Security Conference, continuing Kyiv’s push for China to join an effort to negotiate a “just and lasting peace”. As American aid is held up for political reasons, Ukraine continues to push for a negotiated peace settlement as it faces growing military difficulties. Tomorrow will mark 2 years since the start of Russia’s illegal invasion, and the Kremlin continues to reject good-faith peace negotiations. Recent Russian military success, accompanied by reported unlawful killings of prisoners, has been accompanied by the death of the most prominent opposition leader,Alexei Navalny, in a penal colony. The death of Navalny, who survived an earlier Russian assassination attempt, is the latest blow to internal dissent in Russia, and is a signal of the Kremlin’s belief that it can act with complete impunity.
Facing military difficulties, Ukraine’s outreach to China is a key part of its diplomatic strategy. China is a key strategic and economic partner of Moscow, but wishes to present itself as a major diplomatic actor dedicated to non-interference in other states. It has presented a peace plan that received little support, and Wang said China would not sell weapons to either side, and would continue to push for dialogue and a peaceful resolution. Further participation in Ukraine’s plans for a peace summit would be beneficial to both sides, and could help lead to a peaceful resolution. Russia is unlikely to accept a peace deal that does not legitimize its illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory, but Chinese participation would be an important step, given the close ties between Beijing and Moscow.
Read more stories about Ukraine here.
Maduro chooses power over peace, expels UN human rights agency
We have previously covered negotiations between the US and Venezuela, which would have led to a thaw in relations between the two states, relieved US sanctions, and led to open democratic elections in Venezuela. The recent expulsion of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights from Venezuela is the latest sign that Maduro and his government do not plan on following through with those commitments. The main opposition candidate has been declared ineligible, with her supporters facing arrest and violent attacks. The UN, an important source of aid to the country, had criticized the detention of a prominent human rights activist, and the same agency had accused Maduro of complicity in crimes against humanity. The intensifying crackdown on civil society, activists, and pro-democracy figures echoes earlier violent repression of political opponents and protest movements, and dashes hopes for a peaceful and democratic political environment in Venezuela.
Read past Peace News stories on Venezuela here.
