The Secretary General of one of Mexico’s leading political parties on Monday accused Colombia’s former Police chief of having connections with Mexican paramilitary groups.
Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) Secretary General Alejandro Sanchez Camacho has called for an investigation into General Oscar Naranjo’s suspected involvement with armed self-defense groups in the state of Michoacan.
Naranjo was brought in by President Enrique Peña in 2012 as his security adviser in Mexico after being one of Colombia’s most praised security officials.
MORE: Colombia’s Ex-Police Chief Confirmed As Mexico Security Adviser
The state of Michoacan has seen an alarming rise of armed self-defense/vigilante groups. These groups are made up from a variety of citizens that, in the absence of state presence, aim to combat the terror waged by local drug cartels.
This rise, according to Camacho, occurred at the same time as Naranjo’s appointment.
The politician adds weight to his argument by claiming that similar paramilitary groups were also formed in Colombia supposedly by civilians taking up arms to defend themselves against illegal armed groups.
Naranjo was elected the world’s best police official in 2010. Following his resignation, he has been advising the Inter-American Development Bank and international police organization Interpol. The former official is also a member of the government delegation that is trying to broker peace with Colombia’s largest and longest-living guerrilla organization, the FARC.
Michoacan
Sources
- Acusan al general (r) Óscar Naranjo de promover grupos paramilitares en México (El Espectador)
- Michoacan: Mexico’s failed state? (BBC News)
- El PRD pide investigar la implicación de un ex jefe de Policía de Colombia en la crisis de Michoacán (Europa Press)