II. Armed conflict in the Americas

Chapter:

2. Armed conflicts and peace processes

Source:

SIPRI Yearbook 2018

Author(s):

Dan Smith

In 2017 there was one active armed conflict in the Americas: in Colombia, between the Government of Colombia and various guerrilla groups. There were positive signs that the ongoing peace process, despite its many problems, might also soon bring the longest armed conflict in the Western hemisphere to a close. However, in several countries in Central and South America the levels of political and criminal violence were high enough to place them on a par with ‘traditional’ armed conflicts, even though they could not necessarily be defined as such. Militarized efforts to combat criminal gangs involved in drug trafficking—often underwritten by military and security assistance from the United States—have resulted in elevated homicide rates. This has made cities in the Americas some of the world’s most dangerous. Alongside this, there has been endemic political corruption, weak judicial systems and low confidence in state institutions. Together, these have led to an escalating crisis of forced displacement.