(Even more here)

April 27, 2018

Brazil

• “Report: Violence in Rio Rises Since Military Intervention” (Associated Press, The Washington Post, April 27, 2018).

Over the next two months, the number of shootouts rose to 1,502

Colombia

• Helen Murphy, Luis Jaime Acosta, “Colombia Struggles as Other Armed Groups Seize Farc Rackets, Territory” (Reuters **, April 27, 2018).

Santos, saddled with a sluggish economy at the end of his second term, has struggled to ensure order of the sort the rebels, albeit murderous, once imposed across parts of the Andean nation

• “Somos Defensores Dice Que en Primer Trimestre Asesinaron a 46 Defensores de dd.hh.” (El Espectador (Colombia), April 27, 2018).

26 personas más que en el mismo periodo de 2017

• Natalia Arbelaez Jaramillo, ““Guacho No Sigue las Directrices del Cartel de Sinaloa”” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), April 27, 2018).

La tendencia es que sea más mafioso que militar, anónimo, descentralizado, desarticulado y con relaciones más horizontales que jerárquicas entre los agentes

Colombia, Venezuela

• Joe Parkin Daniels, “Colombia Aid Groups Under Strain as Venezuela Crisis Spills Over” (Devex, April 27, 2018).

Just 6 percent of the appeal has so far been raised, and many observers believe the figure is far too low to begin with

• “Un to Issue Food Vouchers to Venezuelan Migrants in Colombia” (Associated Press, The Washington Post, April 27, 2018).

The WFP program will rely initially on the agency’s own emergency funds. Barreto characterized it as potentially the largest U.N. food program in Latin America’s recent history

Ecuador

• “Todd Chapman: “Necesitamos un Pedido para Restablecer Oficina Militar”” (El Telegrafo (Ecuador), Andes (Government of Ecuador), April 27, 2018).

Es necesario mejorar mucho más en tres áreas: entrenamiento a policías y militares; en tecnología y en compartir información e inteligencia

Guatemala

• “A Corruption Spat in Russia Endangers Crime-Fighters in Central America” (The Economist (Uk), April 27, 2018).

Mr Browder heard of the case of a Russian family who had sought refuge in Guatemala but ended up jailed there instead. He has accused CICIG of taking money from the Russian government, and persuaded America’s Congress to hear his concerns

Mexico

• John Lindsay-Poland, “How U.S. Guns Sold to Mexico End Up With Security Forces Accused of Crime and Human Rights Abuses” (The Intercept, April 27, 2018).

The exponential growth in sales to Mexico has not been accompanied by controls to track where the guns go or to ensure that they do not land in the hands of police or military units that are credibly alleged to have committed gross human rights abuses or colluded with criminal groups

• “Corte Interamericana Analiza el Caso Alvarado, Sobre la Desaparicion Cometida por Militares en Sexenio de Calderon” (Animal Politico (Mexico), April 27, 2018).

CEDEHM señaló que la respuesta del Estado mexicano, sobre que la desaparición fue realizada por el crimen organizado, es una estrategia para legitimar la militarización en México, y acusó al gobierno de negar su responsabilidad

• Kirk Semple, “After Arduous Journey, Migrants See Stubborn Obstacle: Trump” (The New York Times, April 27, 2018).

The group is planning to walk en masse on Sunday to the border crossing leading to southern San Diego, with those planning to petition for asylum presenting themselves to American border officials

Mexico, Western Hemisphere Regional

• Kay Valle, “Mexico Hosts Mlac 2018” (Revista Dialogo (U.S. Southern Command), April 27, 2018).

The 2018 Marine Leaders of the Americas Conference (MLAC) took place in Mexico City, Mexico, March 12th-16th

Nicaragua

• “The Violent End of Daniel Ortega’s Decade of Quiet” (The Economist (Uk), April 27, 2018).

Without Venezuela’s largesse, Mr Ortega can no longer maintain the public spending that kept dissent at bay

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Maria Sacchetti, “Top Homeland Security Officials Urge Criminal Prosecution of Parents Crossing Border With Children” (The Washington Post, April 27, 2018).

Officials say that threatening adults with criminal charges and prison time would be the “most effective” way to reverse the steadily rising number of attempted crossings

• Ron Nixon, “Federal Agencies Lost Track of Nearly 1,500 Migrant Children Placed With Sponsors” (The New York Times, April 27, 2018).

From last October to the end of the year, officials at the agency’s Office of Refugee Resettlement tried to reach 7,635 children and their sponsors, Mr. Wagner testified. From these calls, officials learned that 6,075 children remained with their sponsors

• “Citizen Security in Latin America: Facts and Figures” (Igarape Institute (Brazil), April 27, 2018).

The following report sets out the broad parameters of Latin America ‘s crime challenges and explores innovations in promoting public safety and citizen security