How spiralling gang violence is amplifying crises in Latin America

The UN Security Council recently approved a mission to send a Kenyan-led security force to Haiti in an effort to quell gang violence. But it’s not just Haitians who are confronted by this problem. Surges in gang violence have been seen in a variety of different settings across the region in recent years - from Ecuador to Honduras, from Haiti to Venezuela.

This surge in criminal activity has been amplifying existing crises in the region – such as migration and forced displacement, food insecurity, and gender violence – as well as creating new ones in previously peaceful countries like Ecuador.

On 19 October, TNH’s Latin America Editor-at-large, Daniela Mohor, discussed with Matt Crook, Staff Editor for Live Journalism, why governments in the region have persistently failed to prevent this explosion of gang violence.