For much of Latin America, 2022 marked record homicide rates from drug trafficking, armed group violence, and the flow of weapons. The Caribbean was particularly affected and became a hotspot in terms of murders, especially in the Trucas and Caicos Islands and Jamaica. The InSight Crime organization draws attention with its Balance of homicides in 2022.
Latin America was again scenario of high rates of murder and violence in 2022. The production and trade of cocaine on the continent, gangs and armed groups, the weakness of the State, as well as arms trafficking are influential actors and factors in an increase in violence in several countries.
The Caribbean was particularly affected with some countries topping the list of the most violent for the first time. The Turks and Caicos Islands became the most violent nation per capita in the region, Jamaica’s murder rate rose yet again, and violence in Haiti grew so high that gangs paralyzed the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince.
The Caribbean, a “critical zone”
A wave of violence hit the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) in 2022: it became the most violent country per capita in the region. Although there are only 35 murders compared to other countries, they represent an increase of 150% compared to 2021. The total population is just over 45,000 inhabitants.
The violence is gang related. According to Governor Nigel Dakin, they are “trying to eliminate their criminal rivals in the territory”, using “unprecedented levels of targeted violence”.
The governor also blamed the situation on his unstable neighbors, “awash in weapons and drugs (…) where criminals can apparently easily move throughout the region.”
In Jamaica, there were 1,498 murders in 2022, or 24 more than the previous year. It is due to arms trafficking, whose market is being flooded by small arms from the United States. This situation led Jamaica to turn to the United Nations for external assistance in its fight against arms trafficking, but this does not seem to have changed the situation.
On the other hand, in Haiti, the lack of security on the island has reached unprecedented levels. The figures from the United Nations, although they indicate an increase in homicides of 35.2% compared to last yearThey do not reflect the reality of the country.
Around the capital, Port-au-Prince, summary executions, the carrying of military-grade weapons by adolescents, kidnappings, and acts of sexual violence multiplied.
“It’s the first time I think you’ve seen this degree of lawlessness, this degree of gang violence, where people’s lives don’t matter,” says Cécile Accilien, a professor of Haitian studies at Kennesaw State University.
In Ecuador, a “truly catastrophic” situation
For the second year in a row, Ecuador had one of the fastest growing homicide rates in the region. In 2022, the country registered 4,603 murders, representing a rate of 25.9 per 100,000. According to Insight Crime, it represents an increase of 86% year-on-year.
This rise in violence is explained by the historical levels of cocaine that entered the country. The criminal gangs related to this trafficking mainly attacked judicial officials and police officers, whose murders reached record levels.
Due to gang fighting, bodies have been seen hanging on bridges and large-scale killings have taken place across the country.
Two rival gangs, the Choneros and the Lobos, but also smaller and always better organized groups, fight for control of drug trafficking and have made the seaport of Guayaquil the epicenter of violence in the country.
The influence of Mexican and Colombian organized crime also fuels this violence.
The border region with Colombia, Esmeraldas, being a drug transit center, particularly saw its murder figures rise.
Finally, arms trafficking is steadily increasing with more semi-automatic weapons, pistols, and ammunition coming primarily from the United States and Peru.
Venezuela is the country with the highest homicide rate in South America
Venezuela is the South American country with the highest number of homicides per number of inhabitants, with 9,367 violent deaths in 2022. Homicides remained relatively stable throughout the year, after several years of falling, with a rate of 40.4 per 100,000 people.
The general rate of disappearances was 35.3 with 1,370 reports of disappearances in the year. In the Bolívar mining region, criminal gangs are fighting for control of the gold trade. Several mass graves were discovered in this region in 2022 where it is believed that these gangs make their victims disappear.
While there are large ultraviolent kidnapping and extortion gangs that control swathes of territory, and Caracas, much of the violence is being caused by smaller street gangs. The dollarization of the country but the inability to deposit dollars in national accounts makes people carry a lot of cash and is more prone to being mugged.
Police violence is particularly strong and was responsible for 13% of violent deaths in the country in 2022. Extrajudicial executions are often committed in police security operations. International organizations and agencies denounced human rights violations by the police.
In Colombia, the new government has not yet stopped the murders
According to the Colombian National Police, during 2022 a total of 13,442 homicides were registered, reaching an average of 26.09 per 100,000 inhabitants, a figure that follows the trend of the previous year.
The homicides were concentrated in regions where there are a greater number of armed groups, such as Arauca, Putumayo, Cauca, Chocó, Guaviare and Valle del Cauca. Once again, drug trafficking participates in these confrontations and murders.
The new president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, points to a “total peace” project and to resume talks and negotiations with the dissidents of the extinct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Although there has not yet been a drop in violence in the country, it is expected that the development of the president’s project could reduce the number of annual homicides.
Finally, the murder of social and indigenous leaders is worrisome. In 2022, the country reached the highest number since the record began. 215 social leaders were assassinated, particularly in departments where there is more presence of illegal armed groups.
Honduras, the most violent country in Central America
Although Honduras reduced homicides by 12.7% in 2022, it was the most violent country in Central America, with a homicide rate of 35.8 per 100,000 inhabitants. And that, despite the fact that according to a statement from the Ministry of Security, the Government has not registered such a low number of deaths since 2006.
Many of the violent deaths in Honduras are attributed to gangs that engage in micro-trafficking and extortion. President Xiomara Castro’s offensive would have allowed the arrest of more than 652 suspected gang members and the dismantling of 38 gangs, but it generated strong controversies and worried human rights organizations about a possible suspension of Constitutional guarantees. The impact of such an offensive in lowering homicide rates is not yet known.
Finally, the transport sector has been particularly hard hit by extortion and violence. At least 60 workers in this sector lost their lives in 2022.
