El Salvador Escalates Gang Crackdown With New Measures
With the deployment of thousands of soldiers to rural El Salvador and new legislation permitting the trial of hundreds of…
Firearms, Disappearances, Prison Overcrowding: Brazil’s Problems Are Getting Worse
From overpopulated, crumbling prisons to tens of thousands of disappearances every year, as well as millions of weapons in circulation,…
Q&A: Voices Opposing Mano Dura Policies in Latin America Are Silenced
The long-term consequences of mano dura, or iron fist, law enforcement policies have become a growing consideration for Latin American…
Rise and Fall of a Hybrid Guerrilla Group: The Bolivarian Liberation Forces
In June 2022, according to local press reports, a heavily armed unit from Venezuela’s General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence stormed…
Death of Iván Márquez Simplifies Colombia Peace Negotiations
Iván Márquez, former guerrilla commander, has reportedly died in Venezuela, with his death likely having far-reaching consequences for Colombia’s “Total…
UN Pushes Anti-Gang Intervention in Haiti Despite Past Failures
United Nations officials are once again having serious discussions about international intervention to quell extreme gang-related insecurity in Haiti, but…
Venezuela Security Policy: The Criminal Exploitation of the Migrant Crisis
Over the last decade, millions of Venezuelans have fled economic collapse and political turmoil, creating what is possibly the biggest…
Can Brazil Keep Illegal Miners Off Yanomami Lands?
Brazil’s Federal Police detected no new illegal mines on Yanomami territory for the first time since monitoring began almost three…
US Indicts Chinese Companies in New Approach to Fighting Precursor Chemicals
The US government has brought its first-ever criminal charges against Chinese companies for allegedly trafficking precursor chemicals used to produce…
Crime Groups Drive Pre-Election Violence in Mexico, Brazil: Study
Organized crime groups use violence to manipulate elections in Mexico and Brazil, a new report has revealed. But surprisingly, some…