Violence and Politics in Latin America: A Long and Tragic History

By Nizar Messari  

 In January 2024, gunmen invaded a TV studio in Ecuador, seized journalists and staff as hostages, and interrupted the regular programs. That episode highlighted the rise of violence in Ecuador, a country that was until very recently calm and peaceful. In this paper, I place the rise of violence in Ecuador within the context of what some refer to as the endemic violence in Latin America. I explore its risks, consequences, and the ways it could be tackled. I also emphasize some of the dramatic aspects of this endemic violence, such as the fact that in Brazil, 76.5% of homicide victims in 2022 were either black or brown, and every day, 62 individuals aged between 15 and 29 are murdered. I also underline one of the main consequences of this violence: according to the UNHCR, because of criminal violence in Latin America and the Caribbean, 42% of the world’s new asylum seekers are from that region.