Frank Abrego | |
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Born | |
Academic background | |
Alma mater | Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation |
Frank Alexis Abrego Mendoza (born 16 January 1963) is the founder of the Republic of Panama 's border patrol agency, SENAFRONT. [1] He was succeeded by director general Cristian Hayer in 2016. [2]
Abrego was appointed director general of the Republic of Panama 's border patrol agency, SENAFRONT, by then President Martin Torrijos. [1] He was the only service chief retained by President Ricardo Martinelli and thus far SENAFRONT 's longest serving leader. [1] During his term in office, Abrego maintained generally positive relations with the United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) and counterpart agencies in neighboring Colombia and Costa Rica. [3] Local and international media widely regarded Abrego as a highly influential figure in the Darien Province, where many SENAFRONT operations are based. [4]
Abrego resigned his position as SENAFRONT director general in 2016 under President Juan Carlos Varela. [5] Abrego went on to occupy several low profile public sector positions, until re-emerging as the first chief of the newly created Council of Security Consultation under Presidents Juan Carlos Varela and now Laurentino Cortizo. [6] Like President Cortizo's brother, Moises Cortizo, Abrego served in the now defunct Panamanian Defense Forces and maintained close ties to late General Manuel Noreiga. [7]
Abrego received extensive training at the General Francisco Morazán Military Academy in Honduras, the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC; formerly known as the School of the Americas) and attended the Officer's Staff Course conducted by the US Special Forces. [4] Young Abrego returned to Panama to serve in the now defunct Panamanian Defense Forces under late General Manuel Noreiga. [8] He was a member of the elite Batallon 2000 unit, which surrendered to US forces early into the United States invasion of Panama. [9] Like many former Panamanian special forces officers, Abrego transitioned into law enforcement, sub-sequentially spending 22 years working for the National Police of Panama, including in riot control and anti-terrorism operations. [1] Abrego also headed Panama's border patrol affairs prior to its separation from the National Police of Panama and establishment as an independent entity heavily funded by the United States. [10]
Abrego is currently married to Angela de Abrego and speaks little English. [4] He is an open admirer of late General Omar Torrijos and local press has frequently compared the two men's mannerisms. [4] He is Roman Catholic. [11]
Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the south. Its capital and largest city is Panama City, whose metropolitan area is home to nearly half the country's over 4 million inhabitants.
The history of Panama includes the history of the Isthmus of Panama prior to European colonization.
Omar Efraín Torrijos Herrera was a Panamanian dictator, as well as the Commander of the Panamanian National Guard and military leader of Panama from 1968 to his death in 1981. Torrijos was never officially the president of Panama, but instead held titles including "Maximum Leader of the Panamanian Revolution". Torrijos took power in a coup d'état and instituted a number of social reforms.
The Democratic Revolutionary Party is a centre-left political party in Panama founded in 1979 by General Omar Torrijos. It holds the presidency since 2019 under Laurentino Cortizo.
Arístides Royo Sánchez is a Panamanian politician who was President of Panama from 11 October 1978 to 31 July 1982, when he was pressured to resign by the military. He is currently the Minister of Canal Affairs.
The Panama Defense Forces (Spanish: Fuerzas de Defensa de Panamá; FFDD) formerly the National Guard (of Panama) (Spanish: Guardia Nacional), were the armed forces of the Republic of Panama.
The nations of Mexico and Panama established diplomatic relations in 1904. Both nations are mutual members of the Association of Caribbean States, Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, Latin American Integration Association, Organization of Ibero-American States and the Organization of American States.
The National Border Service, also called SENAFRONT is a police force specialized in the land border area and branch of the Panamanian Public Forces. Its mission is to protect Panama's land borders and protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity and protect rights and freedoms of people, maintain public order, prevent and investigate crimes within their jurisdictions.
Atlapa Convention Centre is located in Panama City, Panama. The convention centre was opened in June 1980. Run by the Panamanian tourist authority, it contains 19 meeting rooms, some of which are capable of hosting up to 600 people.
Reina Cristina Torres de Araúz was a prominent Panamanian anthropologist, ethnographer and professor. She is considered to be a "tireless defender" of Panamanian heritage ethnography.
Cannabis in Panama is illegal for recreational use, but the law is often unenforced and its use is often tolerated by the general public. Its use is regarded as a taboo subject and it may be masked by the addition of food flavorings. It is often consumed by the youth and cannabis extracts are sometimes used in e-cigarettes.
Laurentino "Nito" Cortizo Cohen is a Panamanian politician who has served as the President of Panama since 2019. Previously, he served as President of the National Assembly and Minister of Agricultural and Livestock Development. Cortizo was also a member of the National Assembly between 1994 and 2004, serving a year as chamber president.
Susana Richa de Torrijos is a Panamanian educator, essayist, and politician.
Events in the year 2019 in Panama.
The 2018 Panama–Venezuela diplomatic crisis was a diplomatic stand-off between Panama and Venezuela after the Panamanian government imposed sanctions on President Nicolás Maduro and several key officials of the Bolivarian government over alleged involvement with "money laundering, financing of terrorism and financing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction" on 29 March 2018.
Alejandro Guillermo Ferrer López is a Panamanian politician and lawyer. Minister of Commerce and Industry and served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Panama from July 1, 2019, to December 2, 2020.
The 1968 Panamanian coup d'état was the military coup that took place in the Republic of Panama on October 11, 1968, when the National Guard, led by Major Boris Martínez, Lieutenant Colonel Jose Humberto Ramos, Rubén Darío Paredes and other military officers overthrew President Arnulfo Arias, who was elected in the May 12 general election and assumed office on October 1.
The Naso Tjër Di Comarca is a landlocked indigenous region of Panama, located in the extreme northwest of the country, on the banks of the Teribe River and adjacent to the border between Costa Rica and Panama. The region is inhabited mainly by the Naso ethnic group, which is made up of about 5000 people. It was created on December 4, 2020 and has an area of 1,606.16 square kilometres (620.14 sq mi), of which 1468.63 km2 are protected areas of the La Amistad International Park and the Palo Seco Forest Reserve.
General elections are scheduled to be held in Panama on 5 May 2024. Due to constitutional term limits, incumbent president Laurentino Cortizo is ineligible for a second consecutive term.
A series of protests began in Panama on 20 October 2023 following the immediate passing of a 20-to-40-year mining contract between the government of Panama and First Quantum Minerals, the operator of Cobre Panamá, the largest open-pit copper mine in Central America, placed 20 minutes away from the western coast of Colon Province and within a protected area of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor.
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