As the federal government’s war against drugs enters its ninth year, attacks against the Mexican Army are way up but complaints of abuses by soldiers are way down.

Attacks on the Army by drug traffickers and organized crime gangs have increased by 156% during the three first years of the current administration, compared to the same period under the previous administration of Felipe Calderón, according to a report by the Secretariat of Defense (Sedena). The number of casualties among the armed forces — fatal and otherwise — has also increased.

In contrast, the number of complaints filed last year against soldiers for alleged abuse and criminal activities has decreased by 63.5% when compared to those registered in 2012, the final year of Calderón’s term.

Sedena attributed the decrease in complaints to increased awareness and respect for human rights among its personnel, allowing for a “substantial drop” in complaints filed before the National Commission for Human Rights (CNDH).

As a result of the feedback and recommendations given by the CNDH to Sedena, soldiers now carry video cameras mounted on their tactical helmets during operations against organized crime, and on other missions.

The purpose of cameras is to provide a record of any incidents and interactions between soldiers and civilians and offer evidence of the soldiers’ compliance with human rights regulations.

The measure was adopted after the events in Tlatlaya, State of México, on June 30, 2014, when 22 civilians were killed by soldiers in what was first reported as a confrontation with suspected drug gang members in which soldiers were defending themselves. Many of the dead were executed.

Source: Milenio (sp)