Event Summary
On 24 February 2026, Presidential Decree No. 5,554 authorized the deployment of combat forces in the Eastern part of the country to address internal security issues, particularly criminal organizations, transnational crime, and drug trafficking. This measure expands the Joint Task Force (FTC), a combined military and police unit, which was first deployed in the north in 2013 and later extended to the east and south by 2024. The new decree applies to all 14 departments in the Eastern Region, which houses 97% of the population.
The decree is controversial and seen as unconstitutional by legal experts, as the Constitution limits the military’s role to defending territorial integrity and the authorities, not engaging in internal security operations. No significant internal threat justifying military action exists, and the decree lacks a specific end date, raising concerns about its legal validity. Civil society groups also express concerns over potential human rights abuses in indigenous and rural communities, where military forces have been accused of violations in the past.
The decree is based on Law 1337/99 and its 2013 amendment, which created the FTC to address criminal groups like the “Paraguayan People’s Army” (EPP) and transnational crime. The decision follows a kidnapping on 20 February attributed to the EPP, a group now considered largely dismantled.
The decree was announced a few days before President Peña promulgated the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA Agreement) between Paraguay and the United States. The agreement has been criticized for establishing that U.S. military and contractors cannot be tried under Paraguayan laws if they commit crimes in the country and for not establishing the period of time for which US armed forces will be in Paraguay.
Despite these developments, the Ministry of Defense made assurances that the Decree will not lead to militarization, while civil society organizations warn of potential human rights abuses and suppression of freedom of expression. The decree’s broad scope, lack of clear protocols, and the potential for undermining civil rights have raised alarms about its impact on democratic participation, especially in rural areas. The decision has been accompanied by statements by the Minister of the Interior, who claimed that CSOs that are critical of these militarized approaches were the reason criminals are released from prison and responsible for inefficiencies in ensuring public order, thereby further feeding anti-CSO narratives.