New commander takes command of Mexican 10th Military Zone
2013-03-10
Posted by: badanov
For a map, click here. For a map of Durango state, click here
By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
A press release by the new commander of the Mexican 10th Military zone, published in the online edition of yancuic.com, said that people near the La Laguna region can expect military checkpoints in the region.
Thursday, General de Brigada Georges Andre Van Lissum Foullon took command of the 10th Military Zone, whose headquarters are located in Durango city. The new appointment replaces General de Brigada Jose de Jesus Hernandez Rivera, who was appointed commander of Operativo Laguna, the new security operation begun late last month.
In terms of the type of commander the newly inaugurated president Enrique Pena Nieto wants as he prepares to stand the military down from security duties in Mexico's drug war, General Lissum Foullon is as good as it gets.
According to Mexican news sources, General Lissum Foullon was born in Mexico City on May 15, 1956, and joined the Mexican Army September 1st, 1971. He formerly held command of the Mexican 2nd Motorized Cavalry Regiment in Nuevo Laredo in Tamaulipas. Among his other duties, during that time he conducted a weapons buyback program in the city.
General Lissum Foullon was promoted to General de Brigada in November 2010, and was appointed commander of the Mexican 4th Military Zone based in Hermosillo, Sonora in 2011.
General Lisson Fullon was also military attache in Spain, a prerequisite for top military commands in the Mexican Army.
The general held command during the Tubutama, Sonora gunfight which killed 24 gang members in July of 2010. Two months after the end of that bloody dual, he commented that the local gang activity in his zone of operations was unlike other areas in Mexico, saying "...security systems, the state and municipalities, have been working properly and that's one of the parameters that we can see." The report began by saying southern Sonora state was one of the safest in Mexico.
During his tenure as commander of the 4th Military Zone he appeared to be the go-to guy for local news about the military, never at a loss to tout the activities and achievements of his command.
Mindful of the civilian component of his duties, the General was also quoted in a Sonora state newspaper as saying that education was the key to fighting drug trafficking, saying the rural areas are vulnerable, but adding that federal and state support for those area has improved.
But for the gun battles in Tubutama, the area of operation of the 4th Military Zone is basically a backwater. His new command encompasses most of Durango state including the capital city of Durango as well as the Durango side of La Laguna, currently a hard case for security and one of the most violent regions in Mexico.
His holding command of the 4th Military Zone for two years, apparently his first Military Zone command since making General de Brigada, speaks well of his command since Mexican Army general staff do not appear to like trouble and prefer to keep good commanders in place to train troops.
General Lissum Foullon will have his work cut out for him as the Operativo Laguna security program gets into place. At the moment, Mexican press is reporting that Mexican Army units will continue to cross attach with local and state police units to improve control and cross training in La Laguna.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com
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