UN urges Mexico must withdraw army forces doing police job

The United Nations has called on Mexico to end its controversial program, under which army personnel have undertaken the duties of police and law enforcement forces on the streets.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein on Wednesday called on Mexico to set a timetable to meet the world body’s demand and replace the military forces with police.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto’s government must “adopt a time frame for the withdrawal of the military from public security functions,” as army forces have not been trained to do police tasks, the UN official says.

In late 2006, former president, Felipe Calderon, deployed troops on the streets to crack down on organized crime as part of a wider and ongoing war on drugs.

However, human rights organizations have recently said soldiers deployed to streets of Mexico were committing crimes and other abuses.

Hussein criticized Mexico’s police, judicial and investigative system for failing the nation, saying its poor performance has led to 26,000 disappearances and thousands of killings.

“No one in Mexico can feel safe,” said the UN official, adding, “They’re not enjoying the protection of the law.”

Fate of missing students

Elsewhere in his comments, Hussein urged the Mexican government to follow the recommendations of independent experts from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and start a new investigation into the high-profile case of 43 students that went missing last year.

On September 26, 2014, the 43 students, all trainee teachers, disappeared in the city of Iguala in the southern state of Guerrero following an attack by police forces suspected of having links to drug gangs. The incident took place during a protest rally over teachers’ rights.

The parents of the students say corrupt local police abducted the missing students and handed them over to a drug gang, which purportedly killed them.

Earlier this year, a statement by the Mexican attorney general said that investigators were certain that the 43 college students missing were killed and incinerated.

The parents of the students say corrupt local police abducted the missing students and handed them over to a drug gang, which purportedly killed them.

Earlier this year, a statement by the Mexican attorney general said that investigators were certain that the 43 college students missing were killed and incinerated.

Reacting to Hussein’s comments, the Mexican Foreign Relations Department said the “government agrees with the high commissioner that all of us authorities on the state, federal and local levels should improve our efforts to protect human rights.”

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