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Sunday, November 16, 2014

Borderland Beat

Borderland Beat

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Uganda Priest Identified as one of the Bodies in Guerrero Fosa

Posted: 15 Nov 2014 10:45 PM PST

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat
 Fr. John Ssenyondo was reported missing by the Diocese of Chilpancingo-Chilapa.

The Catholic priest who disappeared in April, was found in a Guerrero fosa (clandestine grave), and buried with six other bodies.  The discovery was made a week ago in the search for the 43 missing normalistas students. 

It is believed that the priest was executed after he refused to baptize the daughter of a local narco leader.


John Ssenyondo was born in the year of 1958 in Masaka , Uganda.   He  arrived in 2009 settling in the town of Chilapa, Guerrero, as part of the Heart of Jesus Comboni Missionaries (MCCJ), joining  the clergy of the region, working with the indigenous population. First settling in the town of Santa Cruz , in Chilapa, then to the town of Nejapa where he officiated as a priest. 

A year before his murder, he had suffered an assault in his home by thugs robbing him and stealing his vehicle.

Authorities were quiet about his disappearance, giving no details.  And even with the latest finding, the city of Chilapa has not spoken publicly about the case and had not publicly demanded an investigation to determine the whereabouts of the priest.  The typically gritty Mexican Catholic Church was also silent, any information forwarded, was done so covertly and anonymously. 

The regional rector of the cathedral, Javier Casarrubias Carballido, has never commented on the missing Priest.

Mexico is a dangerous place for reporters and priests.  Priests are killed on a regular basis, with little fanfare outside local areas. For local authorities not to  acknowledge a missing priest, or call for an investigation is unusual, even for Mexico, but perhaps that is business as usual... in Guerrero.

His remains were  located in one of the graves where they found six bodies in Chilapa, a rural town about 35 minutes east of Chilpancingo. A skull,and other bones later identified as belonging to the missing priest were discovered with the bodies.

Authorities of Semefo (medical examiner) Guerrero report that  at the time of his disappearance, the priest was undertaking dental work, and the dental impressions created for the work, were used to facilitate a match to the remains.

Ssenyondo had been abducted by unknown gunmen, who blocked a road, then forcibly taken him. 

On April 30thFather Ssenyondo had traveled to the rural mountains of Guerrero, to celebrate mass. It was at that event he was asked to baptize the child.  The priest declined the request on grounds the sponsors were not married. 

Father Ssenyondo was killed by a bullet to the head.

sources:  sur acapulco-excelsior-facebook-despetar costa-"Pepe"

Australia was no reprieve for EPN from the Ayotzinapa students controversy

Posted: 15 Nov 2014 12:02 PM PST

Chivis Martinez for Borderland Beat
The G20 summit was held in Australia this year.

The Group of Twenty (G20) as it is known by, is an economic summit is comprised of  19 countries plus the European Union.  President Barack Obama and Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto are two of this years attendees.

Protest groups, are not known to pass up such a prime opportunity to vent their objection to one social cause or another, and the G20 was well represented by demonstrators.  Groups wearing anonymous masks, carrying signs and banners represented dozens of causes, were represented in numbers over 1000.  An eclectic range of issues including climate change, global inequality, aborigines inequality  the conflict in Ukraine and the 43 missing students of Ayotzinapa.

If President Pena thought he would be afforded relief  from the hotseat he and his administration find themselves on,  stemming from the normalistas killings….well he was in for a  surprise.

The Mexican president has been heavily criticized for his leaving Mexico during the upheaval of protest and unrest, which many have compared to as the worse since 1968 when 44-300 people were killed by government snipers.

Australia's Mexican community have been peacefully demonstrating against EPN's participation in the G20 summit, rather than his choosing to stay in Mexico and working for a solution in  the Iguala student massacres. 


"We would like to see awareness about that being raised and that we can call on the [Mexican] government to change their tactics," organizing leader Ms Lulu Garcia said.

"What the hell is he doing here in Brisbane when he should be in Mexico fixing the problem?" said Sean Cleary, another organizer.

The protest aims to promote solidarity among the Australian-Mexican community and their families and friends in Mexico.

"I want the community to feel that they are supported and feel that we can support our families and our community back home. We have a homicide rate of over fifty people per day, all because of violence," Ms Garcia said.

Ms Garcia is disappointed in the  Australian governments' lack of response to the continuing issue.

"Maybe they haven't been properly informed about the situation in Mexico and the latest declarations about Mr Peña. The investigation is an insult to the families and the Mexican community, who are aware. 


A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said "Australia joins the Mexican Government in condemning the disappearance and apparent murder of students in Iguala. We welcome Mexico's investigation into the events and their perpetrators, and its ongoing efforts to strengthen the rule of law and human rights."

Protest groups small and large stationed themselves in different points of Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

 Some material from Facebook and The Source was used to write this article

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