Colombia faces long-running internal armed conflicts fueled by armed actors, including FARC dissidents, the National Liberation Army, the Gulf Clan, and various regional and urban criminal groups. These actors compete for territory and illicit economies; impose their rule through violence; and often clash with state forces and one another, resulting in forced confinements and displacement of communities.
Ecuador has been experiencing an escalation of violence since previously allied criminal gangs started competing for the control of illicit economies, including drug trafficking, illegal gold mining, kidnappings, and extortion. Gang disputes originated in prisons, which became their operational centers, and then spread into the country’s streets.
Gangs have capitalized on political instability to expand their territorial control and revenue-generating strategy across Haiti. Despite heightened security efforts involving a number of actors, gangs continue to challenge state authorities, undermining efforts to resolve the political crisis. Ordinary citizens bear the brunt of this instability, as gangs routinely carry out violence against civilians in the form of killings, kidnappings, sexual violence, and extortion.
Mexico’s security landscape is characterized by violent disputes between criminal groups fighting for control over illicit economies. The ensuing political violence, and the burden this places on the civilian population, has resulted in Mexico continually ranking amongst the world’s most extreme conflicts according to the ACLED Conflict Index.
