Two years after rebellion erupted in Chiapas and a year after peasants were massacred by the Guerrero State Police near Aguas Blancas, a second rebel group appeared in southern Mexico.  The Popular Revolutionary Army (EPR) stormed onto the scene.  Newly-declassified documents suggest both the Mexican and U.S. governments underestimated the EPR in terms of size and reach.

The documents, obtained by College of DuPage Professor Keith Yearman under the Freedom of Information Act, originated within the State Department.

While the world’s attention was focused on the London subway bombings in July 2005, Brazilian soldiers with the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) were busy wreaking havoc on the city of Cite Soleil.  The assault on the city resulted in numerous civilian deaths, although the exact number remains a source of controversy.  Now, one year after the massacre, the State Department has released several cables surrounding the Cite Soleil massacre.  These heavily-excised documents, requested under the Freedom of Information Act, suggest Cite Soleil was to be the target of at least one more assault.  Additionally, they raise the question as to whether United Nations forces knew their actions on July 6 would result in heavy civilian casualties.