Desperate Juarez Buisinesses seeking U.N. Blue Helmets
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The daily bloodshed and horrors: kidnappings, mutilations, and extortions of Ciudad Juarez discriminates against no one, everyone is a target and all are victims.
In a city with a population of just over 1.5 million and over 2000 murders in the first ten months of this year, patience and hope have worn thin. In what was once a booming and benelovant border town business executives now carpool in armmed security convoys and shop owners tend their customers from behind bullet proof glass or armoured vests. These examples are of course of the fortunate ones, the businesses and owners who still have business. Many in Juarez have been forced to close due to lack of sales or worse, to narco-extortion.
Although President Calderon has sent thousands of soldiers and federal police to the war torn border and important arrests and seizes have been made, the violence and crimes continue, night and day with no sign of slowing.
A turf battle between rival drug gangs has not yielded, and extortionists and thieves — some probably related to the drug cartels — have taken advantage of the situation to target businesses. Thousands of shops, stores and other firms have closed or moved out of the city because of the situation.-AP
For some the emotional cost of living in Juarez and the constant struggle to survive, both physically and economically, has simply proven too much; many Juaresenses have fled. Those who have stayed, seek tranquility, a return of the city they once loved, a city where businesses and lives prospered. For that very reason the business and tourism sectors of Juarez have taken a stand and chosen to seek the assistance of United Nations' Blue Helmets.
"This is a proposal ... for international forces to come here to help out the domestic (security) forces. There is a lot of extortions and robberies of businesses. Many businesses are closing. We have seen the U.N. peacekeepers enter other countries that have a lot fewer problems than we have. What we are asking for with the blue helmets (U.N. peacekeepers) is that we know they are the army of peace, so we could use not only the strategies they have developed in other countries ... but they also have technology. -Daniel Murguia, president of the Ciudad Juarez chapter of the National Chamber of Commerce, Services and Tourism.-AP
Can the Blue Helmets halt what ten thousand plus Mexican soldiers and federal police have yet to conquer? Can the U.N. combat the blood and violence flooding Juarez? Can a turf war be solved by peace seeking soldiers? Can an eager supply on one side of a border ever be stopped from uniting with a never ending demand on the other?
Will the Blue Helmets, if allowed in, be Juarez's saviour? Can they save us?
