Regional Pulse: 27 February 2024

Southern Pulse’s weekly review of need-to-know events curated for people who work in Latin America.

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Editor's Picks:

Mexico

Government nationalizes country’s largest salt mine?

On 25 February 2024, the government nationalized the company Exportadora de Sal (ESSA) after buying 49% of the company’s shares for USD87.6 million from the Japanese company Mitsubishi. The state was already the largest shareholder of the salt mine in northern Baja California Sur state, with 51% of the shares. However, it consolidated full ownership after purchasing the rest of the royalties. The deal is part of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's campaign to secure the country's national resources by putting much of them in state hands. ESSA owns the country's largest salt mine and is one of the largest producers in Latin America along with Chile, with an output of more than 8 million tons per year. In February 2023,? President López Obrador signed a decree to nationalize lithium. In May 2023, the military seized part of conglomerate Grupo Mexico's unit in the “Isthmus of Tehuantepec” railway system to nationalize it. Earlier this month, the president authorized the purchase of a majority stake in Spanish company Iberdrola's energy assets.

Argentina

Security Minister praises Bukele at CPAC

On 21 February 2024, Security Minister Patricia Bullrich attended the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington DC in hopes of fostering closer security collaborations between Latin American states. At the conference, Bullrich told El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele she wanted to follow his model of tackling crime. Bukele’s crackdown on criminal gangs in 2022 led to the arrests of more than 1% of the population, garnering criticism from human rights organizations. Bullrich also used the conference to speak about the anti-picketing protocol she introduced in December to stop disruptive protests, calling on other Latin American countries to become “partners in security” with the US. Bullrich is now serving her second term as security minister under President Javier Milei after having the same role under former president Mauricio Macri between 2015 and 2019. She presents herself as being tough on crime and sought to foster collaboration on security matters with the US during her previous term.

Chile

Venezuelan dissident kidnapped in Chile

On 21 February 2024, retired Lieutenant Ronald Ojeda was kidnapped from his home in Santiago. No group has claimed responsibility for kidnapping Ojeda, a Venezuelan political dissident and refugee in Chile. The kidnappers were reportedly disguised as Chilean investigative police (PDI). The Chilean government has increased security on the Bolivian and Peruvian borders in an attempt to prevent the kidnappers from leaving the country with Ojeda. The news of Ojeda’s kidnapping will be cause for concern for the 68 Venezuelan political dissidents who have found asylum in Chile since 2010.

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