'Águilas Negras' are expanding                                El Comercio, Ecuador, July 6, 2009

”The operating area of the band of extortionists called ‘Águilas Negras’ could be growing from Esmeraldas to two other provinces: Imbabura and Pichincha. The last detentions of its alleged members in the country as well as the testimony of the merchants of the frontier area of San Lorenzo, in northern Esmeraldas, who have been the victims of their threats, confirm it.  28 Murders were registered between January and June by the Judicial Police of Esmeraldas in San Lorenzo and Eloy Alfaro.
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Ortega swears he did not send troops to the frontier with Honduras
La Prensa Gráfica, El Salvador, July 5, 2009

The president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, swore today “in front of God and the Motherland” that he has not moved troops to the frontiers with Honduras, as was recently stated by Honduras president Roberto Micheletti in a press conference. “Brother Honduran soldiers, Honduran officers, I want to assure you, I can swear in front of God and the Motherland that Nicaragua is not sending troops towards Honduran territory and that we are not preparing any attack against Honduran garrisons on the frontier,” said Ortega in a message via an official radio station.
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President calls on military to be the engine of the revolution
El Universal, Venezuela, July 4, 2009

The president of the Republic, Hugo Chávez, said last night to all members of the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB) that “independence is the supreme objective.” He asked them to join in deepening the revolution in the country. In an act which took place in Fuerte Tiuna, in Caracas, he promoted commanding officers and the like from the FANB. He repeated in his speech to the forces that “today Venezuela is in that road of liberation and that road is called socialist revolution. To obtain independence it is necessary to build Bolivarian socialism."                                                                more>>  

“In the Armed Forces there is no type of confusion or doubt”
El Universal, Venezuela, July 2, 2009

After highlighting the “popular, anti-imperialist, revolutionary and truly socialist” character of the National Armed Force, the commander of the Militia, major general Félix Antonio Velásquez, assured that there are no doubts in the military establishment regarding the changes implied by the Organic Law of the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB). One of them, maybe the most controversial within the institution, the transition of professional carreer NCO’s to technical officers.                                                                    more>>  

Prepared by: Mariana Caramagna Natalia Herrera

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