Guatemalans wary of military aid

But, when it comes to creating a regional force, some critics question the idea of expanding the powers of Central American militaries with poor records in human rights and transparency.

"The problem is that their range of action is easily extended," says Arturo Chub, an analyst at the Guatemalan non-governmental organization, Security in Democracy. Mr. Chub and other critics say the Guatemalan military has traditionally been involved in a range of abusive and lucrative activities outside of its mandate.

A UN-sponsored truth commission found the army responsible for 85% of human rights violations committed during the country's bloody civil war. More than 200,000 people were killed in the war, which pitted leftist guerrillas against a repressive military state backed by the US. The vast majority of the victims were poor and indigenous.

The peace accords signed between the government and insurgents in 1996 called for cutting the military's budget and personnel. The accords also strictly defined the military's purpose as defending sovereignty and ensuring territorial integrity.

Still, the military and government authorities have been criticized for expanding the army's role to include an array of tasks, from delivering school lunches to carrying out joint security patrols with the national police.

At the same time, numerous accusations of corruption have been made in recent years against high-ranking military leaders, including retired general Enrique Ríos Sosa, son of former military dictator Efraín Ríos Montt. Ríos Sosa is accused of helping divert millions of dollars from the Ministry of Defense into private, foreign bank accounts when he served as head of army finances in 2001. The case is still under investigation.

Some worry that potential financial cooperation for organizing a regional security force could be misused.

"International funds have sometimes ended up enriching a few military officers," says Mario Polanco, director of the Guatemala-based Mutual Support Group, which monitors human rights and military spending. "What we should be doing is improving coordination among governments and strengthening civil institutions," he adds.

Nevertheless, Mr. Polanco and other critics of the military said the army should be involved in disaster relief.

Chub, from Security in Democracy, agrees but says the military's participation in disaster relief should be brief and its expenditures should be strictly monitored.

But some victims of the mudslide in Panabaj were still cautious about welcoming military aid.

"If they come to help that's fine, as long as they don't do anything else," says Juana Ixbalan Vásquez, who lost her home in the mudslide. Former mayor Sisay Sapalu said soldiers were welcome to help rebuild the village, as long as they left their guns in the barracks.

"If people see the army constructing and not destructing, there's going to be a change in this country," he says.

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