Regional Overview: Latin America & the Caribbean | May 2023

Brazil: Violence erupts between the PCC and Indigenous population over the control of Indigenous Yanomami territory

Illegal miners in the Amazon region clashed with Yanomami Indigenous people in a reserve situated in Roraima state, resulting in at least 14 reported deaths. Amid reports that illegal miners are associated with the criminal group, the alleged first-in-command of the First Capital Command (PCC), Sandro Moraes de Carvalho, was reportedly among the victims.¹ The PCC has been described as serving as an ‘illegal mining union,’ providing miners with heavy weaponry and machinery, while also running prostitution and drug trafficking networks in Yanomami land.² The PCC’s influence and support are thought to encourage miners to remain in the territory and confront state forces. This is particularly relevant amidst the launch of a federal operation earlier in February to curb illegal mining, which drove thousands of miners out of the region.³ These clashes doubled the level of political violence recorded in the Roraima state in May compared to the month prior.

Back to Map

Colombia: Gunmen kill pre-elections candidates, while the government suspends ceasefire with the Central General Staff

Several candidates for the 29 October regional election were the target of assassination attempts in May. Two pre-candidates for city council fell victim to unidentified gunmen in the Guaviare and Norte de Santander departments. Separately, unknown perpetrators attacked an Indigenous candidate running in the municipal elections in Nariño department, demanding he withdraw his candidacy. Thus far in 2023, ACLED records more than a dozen attacks on candidates, setting worrying prospects for the upcoming electoral cycle. Political figures have been targeted ahead of previous electoral processes. This phenomenon has been attributed to dynamics involving insurgent and organized crime groups, as well as political conflicts and corruption.⁴ 

Meanwhile, President Gustavo Petro suspended the bilateral ceasefire with the Central General Staff dissident faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).⁵ The suspension comes after the Carolina Ramírez FARC front, a group affiliated with the Central General Staff, reportedly killed four Murui Indigenous children who were fleeing from forced recruitment in the Putumayo department. In response to the termination of the ceasefire, the Central General Staff stated that the government’s decision would result in an escalation of the armed conflict.⁶ Since President Petro took office, he has sought to mitigate armed conflict in the country through the Total Peace process, which includes dialogue on ceasefire agreements between armed groups and the government.⁷ The latest suspension of the ceasefire represents another setback to the process, following the earlier ceasefire breakdown with the Gulf Clan.⁸

Back to Map

Haiti: Decrease in gang attacks on civilians amid ongoing anti-gang police operations and vigilante violence

Self-defense groups continued to lynch gang members and suspected gang collaborators last month. ACLED records almost 30 lynching events⁹ throughout the month, which was double the number of events recorded in April and resulted in over 150 reported fatalities. Most lynchings occurred in Ouest, Grande-Anse, and Artibonite departments, where local sources also reported that residents established checkpoints, ran identity checks, and started distributing machetes.¹⁰ Meanwhile, police forces continued anti-gang operations,¹¹ including actions against the Base 5 Secondes gang in Port-au-Prince, reportedly killing at least 12 gang members. 

Amid ongoing anti-gang police operations and vigilante violence, gang attacks on civilians and associated reported fatalities decreased in May relative to the month prior. Local organizations have attributed this decrease to the action of vigilante groups, although lynchings have also triggered deadly retaliatory attacks against civilians.¹² In the first week of May, suspected members of the Baz Gran Grif de Savien and Kokorat San Ras gangs reportedly killed at least 12 civilians in Saint-Marc, Artibonite in retaliation for lynchings. The recent increase in lynchings and self-defense actions has been driven by the Bwa Kale vigilante movement, which has called on citizens to mobilize and protect themselves against rising gang violence.¹³

Back to Map

Mexico: The CJNG’s alleged expansion in Tamaulipas state triggers escalating conflict

On 2 May, clashes between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the Gulf Cartel in Tamaulipas reportedly resulted in the death of at least five people in Matamoros, San Fernando, Reynosa, and Méndez municipalities. While authorities have denied the CJNG’s presence in Tamaulipas and attributed the violence to fights between local criminal groups¹⁴, experts suggest that the CJNG is seeking to expand its operations in this state.¹⁵ The Gulf Cartel has traditionally dominated the drug and human trafficking routes in Tamaulipas along the border between Mexico and the United States. The splintering of this group between 2010 and 2013¹⁶ has prompted the emergence of multiple armed wings – such as Los Metros, Los Escorpiones, among others – which have disputed the control of the border.¹⁷ According to local reports, the defection of some Gulf Cartel affiliates to support the CJNG’s incursion in Tamaulipas triggered the recent clashes.¹⁸ The violence continued throughout the month and drove an increase of 78% in the number of reported fatalities in the state compared to the month prior.

Back to Map

Paraguay: Supporters of third-place finisher Paraguayo Cubas demonstrate over claims of electoral irregularities

On 30 April, voters elected Santiago Peña of the ruling Colorado Party president. Following claims of electoral irregularities from third-place finisher National Crusade Presidential Candidate Paraguayo Cubas, supporters took to the streets and set up roadblocks near electoral courts, calling for a recount. Demonstrators clashed with police, who used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowd and arrested dozens. Days after the unrest, police arrested Cubas for disrupting public peace, threatening the country’s electoral process, coercing constitutional bodies, and resisting authority. On Twitter, second-place candidate Efraín Alegre also called for a recount and an international audit of electronic ballot boxes.¹⁹ Nevertheless, the Organization of American States stated its electoral observation mission saw no reason to doubt the results of Paraguay’s presidential elections.²⁰ The unrest contributed to a more than doubling of demonstration activity in the country compared to the previous month.

Back to Map

Trinidad and Tobago: Unidentified gunmen increase attacks on civilians amid concerns over criminality and organized crime

Political violence reached some of its highest monthly levels since 2018 amid increasing targeted attacks against civilians by unidentified gunmen. Most of the attacks occurred in the northwestern areas of Trinidad island in Tunapuna-Piarco – a hotspot for drug trafficking and extortion, among other gang activities²¹ – and neighboring San Juan-Laventille. The increase in violence comes after Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher presented a security plan to tackle criminality and gang activity as main drivers of insecurity in April. However, experts suggest that the country’s poor socio-economic conditions should also be considered among the factors behind insecurity.²² Since 2018, ACLED data show that levels of violence likely related to gang activity have increased every year in Trinidad and Tobago, and more broadly in the Caribbean, including in Puerto Rico and Jamaica.

Back to Map