07.10.2015 - 00:10 [ Truthout ]

Indigenous Communities Seek Autonomous Development Projects in Guatemala

As Guatemala faces its greatest political crisis since the 1980s, behind the scenes, plans for the United States‘ Alliance for Prosperity continue to move along. The plan, which was modeled after Plan Colombia, would provide the governments of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador – the „northern triangle“ of Central America – with an additional $1 billion aid package, on top of existing aid plans, to spur further investment in the region. The expansion of hydroelectric construction projects and the further integration of electric grids are central to the plan, yet these projects threaten indigenous communities‘ land rights.