Last week in South America, several incidents of violence targeting social leaders and political figures were reported in Colombia, and armed clashes took place in the country’s southwest region. In Brazil, gang-related violence continued unabated. In the Acre state, a resurfaced turf war between drug trafficking groups has challenged state forces and public security policies. In Paraguay, reported incidents of vigilante mob violence spiked.
In Colombia, dissident groups in the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) clashed with security forces in the Nariño and Cauca departments, though it is unclear whether either side incurred any casualties. Moreover, FARC dissidents of the Jaime Martínez Front fought with the National Liberation Army over control of drug trafficking routes in the Buenaventura municipality, Valle del Cauca. Civilians were reportedly caught in the crossfire, though the number of casualties is unknown. Meanwhile, unknown gunmen fatally shot a man in the Caquetá department. A FARC pamphlet was found near his body stating that the man was killed for his involvement in an incident of sexual violence.
In separate developments, several social leaders and political figures were reportedly attacked across Colombia. In Bugalagrande, Valle del Cauca department, a social leader and member of the Comunes Party was reportedly fatally shot outside his home. The Comunes Party is a communist party formed by former FARC militants after the 2016 peace agreement. In La Vega department, unidentified armed individuals fatally shot the mother of the Cundinamarca mayor Eduar Ricardo Matiz Padilla in a drive-by shooting outside her home. Another Indigenous social leader and coordinator of the Indigenous Guard in Sotara municipality, Cauca, was also shot dead, and his body was found in the Nariño department. Elsewhere in the Nariño department, unknown perpetrators reportedly fatally shot a social leader while he was riding his motorcycle near the border with Ecuador. The victim worked as a journalist and director of the local station TV Unión reporting on security and corruption-related issues. According to local officials, he received threats against him days before he was killed (El Pais, 29 November 2022) (for more, see ACLED’s report on Understanding the Killing of Social leaders in Colombia During COVID-19.) These trends contribute to the 152% increase in average weekly violent events in Nariño in the past month relative to the weekly average for the preceding year flagged by ACLED’s Subnational Threat Tracker. The Subnational Tracker also warned of increased violence in Nariño during the preceding four weeks.
In Brazil, violence stemming from clashes between rival drug trafficking groups increased last week in Acre state. At least six people were reportedly killed as a result of disputes for territorial control and access to drug trafficking routes. Security officers believe these events are being coordinated by individuals in detention centers and by international drug trafficking groups located in Bolivia (G1, 25 November 2022). Acre is part of the Amazon basin, an area comprising several states with social and political similarities and sharing borders with Peru and Bolivia. It is home to a complex network of organized crime, including drug trafficking, smuggling of goods, logging, illegal gold mining, and human trafficking, coordinated and sponsored by drug trafficking gangs (Brasil de Fato, 16 September 2022). These trends contribute to the 140% increase in violent events in Acre last week relative to the weekly average for the preceding month flagged by ACLED’s Subnational Surge Tracker. The Subnational Tracker also warned of increased violence in Acre during the preceding four weeks.
Elsewhere in Brazil, at least 14 people were reportedly killed in Rio de Janeiro during police operations and clashes between local gangs last week. In the Cascadura neighborhood of the Morro do Fubá community, members of the Red Command and the Tico & Teco militia engaged in intense shootouts, disrupting daily activities for locals (Informe Agora, 27 November 2022). Likewise, in the Vila Kennedy neighborhood, a clash between military police and drug traffickers led to at least seven local schools and several health centers canceling their services and activities. Police reported the death of two suspects involved in the clash, while the community claimed a resident was killed by stray bullets during the confrontation (G1, 30 November 2022).
Last week in Paraguay, the highest level of mob violence activity in Paraguay since 2018 was recorded in Asunción. This increase in vigilante violence reflected a string of incidents where violent mobs assaulted individuals suspected of committing crimes. These trends contribute to a 50% increase in violent events in Paraguay, and a 200% increase in violent events in Asunción, over the past week relative to the weekly average for the preceding month, as flagged by ACLED’s Conflict Change Map.
Note: This dashboard automatically updates to cover the latest four weeks of data released by ACLED. Use the date filters to view data for the one-week period covered by this Regional Overview.
