All posts tagged: gang violence

How to to end edemic violence in Colombia? Presidential elections to take place on Sunday

How to to end edemic violence in Colombia? Presidential elections to take place on Sunday

Colombia is going to the polls this Sunday. The presidential election is set to determine Gustavo Petro’s successor. Violence is at the heart of this campaign: armed groups are stepping up their attacks, and each candidate has their own proposals for how to prevent it. Violence is an endemic problem in the country that has been ravaged by conflict for decades. Story by Eliza Herbert and Antoine Fenaux. Keywords for this article Source link

How Mexico killed the powerful drug kingpin ‘El Mencho’ and what it means

How Mexico killed the powerful drug kingpin ‘El Mencho’ and what it means

The Mexican army killed the country’s most powerful cartel leader and one of the United States’ most wanted fugitives on Sunday, notching a major victory while cartel members responded with a wave of violence across the country. The killing of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes during an attempt to capture him in Jalisco state was the highest-profile blow against cartels since the recapture of former Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman a decade ago. Following Oseguera Cervantes’ death, gunmen unleashed violence across the country. Cars burned out by cartel members blocked roads in 20 Mexican states and left smoke billowing into the air. People locked themselves in their homes in Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city and Jalisco’s capital, and school was canceled Monday in several states as security forces were placed on alert all over the country. Even Guatemala reinforced security on its border with Mexico. The killing could give the government a leg up in its dealings with the US Trump administration, which has been threatening tariffs or unilateral military action …

How Sweden defied liberal outrage to smash the gangs

How Sweden defied liberal outrage to smash the gangs

Famed for its openness and slower pace of life, Sweden is one of the last places you might expect to see children being pulled off the streets and searched without a warrant, or having their phones spied on by detectives. But after four years of gang violence that has seen children as young as 12 recruited on social media to carry out hit jobs against rival gangsters, police say it has become a grim but necessary reality. In April 2024, Swedish police were handed sweeping new powers to tackle the rise of Middle Eastern drug syndicates that were grooming boys and girls into being “foot soldiers” by offering them up to 150,000 kroner (£12,500) per job. Across Swedish cities, officers now have the power to stop and search people – including children – and vehicles without specific suspicion of a crime, similar in scope to powers given to police in Britain. Children under the age of 15 can also be placed under phone and internet surveillance by police if they are suspected of serious crimes, …