Weekly InSight
April 2, 2021
This week, InSight Crime reports from the ground in Colombia on a new generation of minors being co-opted by criminal groups – an investigation that comes on the heels of a bombing of a group of ex-rebels that led to the deaths of 10 children. The bombing has sparked outrage in Colombia, whose minister of defense smeared the alleged child recruits as “machines of war.” Our report tracks child recruitment hotspots and looks at how criminal groups of all stripes target youth. 

Other news on the organized crime front this week included Peru’s long delayed announcement of the death of a top Shining Path commander; protests of innocence by Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández despite his brother’s life sentence for drug trafficking; and the Venezuela military operation that has exposed the government’s complex relationship with Colombia’s insurgent groups in the country’s border regions. 

Featured

Bajo Cauca and Vaupés – Colombia’s Child Recruitment Hotspots

As in the darkest days of Colombia's civil conflict, armed groups across the country continue to enlist and exploit teenagers. In this, the first of a three-part investigation by InSight Crime about the recruitment of minors in Colombia by criminal groups and insurgents, we explore where and how this happens.

Read the investigation >

NewsAnalysis

Uncertainty for Honduras President After Brother’s Life Sentence


A judge in the United States sentenced the brother of Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández to life in prison for drug... 

Venezuela Sends Mixed Messages to Colombian Insurgents


A recent series of Venezuelan military operations in the state of Apure has once again exposed the complex relationship between...
Shining Path Commander’s Death Strikes Blow to Peru Rebel Group
Jamaica Bets on Security Overhaul to Stem Bloodshed, Improve Anti-Crime Fight
Latin America Elites Seek Corrupt Access to Vaccines
Police in Brazil Net Mass Seizure of Ornamental Fish
Child Trafficking Thrives Along Haitian-Dominican Border
Tides Are Turning: First Europe-Built ‘Narco-Sub’ Seized in Spain
Disgruntled Police Sowing Further Unrest in Haiti

Criminal Actors
Profiles of some of the notable criminal personalities and groups that have marked this week.

Browse by country >

Shining Path

The Shining Path or the Militarized Communist Party (Militarizado Partido Comunista – MPC) is the last remnant...

Tony Hernández

Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernández Alvarado is a former Honduran congressman, the brother of the current president of...

Media Mentions
MARCH 24, 2021
BLOOMBERG
"Marxist guerrillas from Colombia’s National Liberation Army, or ELN, and various factions of FARC rebels who rejected the 2016 peace process with their government have a presence on both sides of the border, according to Jeremy McDermott, co-founder of Insight Crime."

Impact

Out Front on Organized Crime in El Salvador

 
InSight Crime Co-director Steven Dudley participated in a television interview with Canal 33's #8enpunto, one of the most-watched nightly news programs in El Salvador. Dudley talked about the evolving US policy towards the Central American nation following the inauguration of US President Joe Biden. He also participated in a four-person panel on violence in El Salvador hosted by Duke University's Center for International & Global Studies (DUCIGS). The panel discussed homicide trends and ways of mitigating violence going forward.
 

Our Trending Topics 
EX-FARC MAFIA
ELITES AND OC
HONDURAS
VENEZUELA
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InSight Crime · Medellin · Medellin 0000 · Colombia