Latin America Daily Security Brief

At least 52 guerrilla fighters were killed in jungle fighting between two rival FARC dissident factions in the department of Guaviare, near the village of Barranco Colorado, on May 28. Reuters and The Guardian confirmed the death toll, which was reported by one of the factions involved. Colombian authorities launched a humanitarian operation to recover bodies. Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez confirmed the clashes on social media but declined to give casualty figures.

The fighting pitted the faction led by Néstor Gregorio 'Iván Mordisco' Vera against the Calarcá dissident group — two organizations competing for cocaine production and trafficking routes in one of Colombia's most strategically valuable jungle departments. Guaviare sits at the intersection of Amazonian coca territory and routes leading toward Venezuela and Brazil.

The violence lands three days before Colombia's May 31 presidential election, complicating what was already a fraught security environment. The army has deployed additional troops to Guaviare's 47 polling stations, which authorities say are not at direct risk. Candidates from the right — Paloma Valencia and Abelardo de la Espriella — condemned the clashes; center-left candidate Iván Cepeda declined to comment.

Both the ELN and the Central General Staff (EMC/FARC dissidents) separately announced unilateral election ceasefires on Wednesday, May 27. The ELN ceasefire begins at midnight May 30 and runs through the election. The timing is notable: the Guaviare fighting broke out after ceasefire talks were underway, suggesting the announced truces do not bind all factions. InSight Crime notes that the incoming president will inherit a security environment shaped by coca expansion, ELN territorial consolidation, and collapsed peace negotiations.

The ELN bombed the Batallón de Infantería Mecanizado No. 6 Cartagena in Riohacha, La Guajira on May 27, wounding at least 12 soldiers. Separately, the Colombian Army neutralized 13 ELN explosive devices on the Troncal de Occidente highway in Antioquia, attributed to the Compañía Héroes de Tarazá. A joint DEA-Colombian Police operation intercepted more than 300 kilograms of cocaine linked to the ELN near the Caribbean coast, bound for Central America and the U.S. The ELN also claimed responsibility for kidnapping the son of a former mayor of Tame, Arauca, issuing a warning about his release conditions.

The U.S. State Department designated the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and the Comando Vermelho (CV) as Foreign Terrorist Organizations on Thursday, May 29. The two gangs together account for an estimated 50,000-plus members, according to AP. This makes them the latest in a growing list of Latin American criminal organizations — following Mexican cartels designated in February 2025 — to receive the FTO label under the Trump administration.

Brazilian federal prosecutors launched a separate mega-operation the same day targeting PCC and CV finances — covering fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion. A prior phase of the same investigation, Operation Hidden Carbon, found companies linked to the PCC laundered at least 6 billion reals ($1.1 billion USD) in recent years.

President Lula pushed back on the FTO designation, saying Brazil's own operation demonstrates it is fighting organized crime on its terms. The designations carry political weight ahead of October's presidential election, where public security is a major wedge issue between Lula and former President Jair Bolsonaro — both of whom have confirmed they will run. Bolsonaro's camp has long called for the designation; Lula's allies are framing it as external interference.

Suriname's president visited Brazil this week, signing defense and energy deals — a signal of deepening bilateral ties as Brazil looks to consolidate regional influence in the Guiana Shield corridor.

The Trump administration has directed federal prosecutors to stand down on charges against acting Venezuelan president Delcy Rodríguez, according to an AP exclusive published Thursday. Rodríguez and her brother Jorge — head of the National Assembly — were previously sanctioned during Trump's first term. The stand-down order represents a significant legal accommodation tied to the ongoing energy cooperation arrangement.

Rodríguez announced this week that additional hydrocarbon sector companies will arrive in Venezuela 'in the coming weeks,' framing the country as open to private and foreign investment. Venezuela has now shipped approximately 10 million barrels of oil to the U.S. under the arrangement that began after the January 2026 Maduro capture. Chevron and ExxonMobil representatives have been part of high-profile delegations to Caracas.

U.S. officials confirmed plans to open DEA and Homeland Security offices in Caracas — a development reported within the last hour. If confirmed, this would represent a major operational shift: Washington moving from maximum pressure to embedded law enforcement presence inside Venezuela.

Cuba continues to feel the downstream consequences of Venezuela's pivot. A Russian oil tanker carrying 240,000 barrels of diesel that had been bound for Cuba diverted course and did not arrive, according to Infobae. Cuba received humanitarian aid from China this week as food and energy shortages deepen. The U.S. military has been building up naval assets in the Caribbean for months — The Independent reported Thursday that forces are described as ready for contingency operations.

Guatemala agreed in principle to joint U.S. military strikes against drug trafficking groups inside its territory, per a New York Times report citing three people familiar with the talks. The agreement would make Guatemala the first Central American country to formally accept this type of U.S. military action on its soil.

Guatemalan officials moved quickly to manage the optics. Guatemala's security minister told El País that no agreement authorizes foreign military operations on Guatemalan territory and that the army will lead any operations. The government also published a firm statement on X distancing itself from the framing of U.S. 'strikes,' even as officials acknowledged the broader cooperation framework. Newsweek ran a headline Friday morning — 'Guatemala Denies Authorizing US Strikes' — capturing the public reversal.

The NYT report also named Honduras as the next country the Pentagon intends to press for a similar agreement. The Trump administration is explicitly using Guatemala and Honduras as leverage to pressure Mexico into accepting joint counterdrug operations — a strategic design, not a coincidence.

Guatemalan military intelligence separately tracked an armed cell involved in drug production near the Mexican border, leading to the discovery of a large cross-border drug lab. Sri Lanka Guardian reported the find Thursday; the compound straddled the frontier.

Mexican federal forces arrested Isai 'El Chinacate' Martínez — a nephew of Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán and a logistics operator for Los Chapitos — in Nogales, Sonora on May 28. Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch confirmed the arrest. Martínez faces U.S. extradition proceedings. The arrest follows a string of operations that have systematically degraded Los Chapitos' command structure since the cartel's internal fractures became public in 2023.

Reports from TotalNews Agency and Telemundo detail the presence of Colombian ex-military personnel operating for the CJNG in the Meseta Purépecha region of Michoacán — a strategic indigenous territory. A former Colombian soldier described the arrangement to Telemundo, confirming a trend that analysts have tracked since the post-El Mencho succession process accelerated. This represents a professionalization of CJNG's enforcement structure, not a one-off recruitment.

Infobae confirmed the FGR acknowledged foreign agents participated in a raid that dismantled a synthetic drug laboratory in Morelos municipality — suggesting continued U.S.-Mexico joint operations even amid public friction over sovereignty. President Sheinbaum separately confirmed she requested CIA agents leave Chihuahua after they were identified operating without authorization.

Violence in Baja California between CJNG and Sinaloa Cartel continues, per Infobae. García Harfuch attributed recent flare-ups to clashes between local groups aligned with CJNG and said he expects a reduction in coming days. Colima remains a flashpoint as CJNG fights the Los Mezcales faction for control of Manzanillo port.

U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced bipartisan legislation — the Cartel Violence Fuel Theft Act — targeting huachicol (fuel theft) operations by CJNG and Sinaloa Cartel, requiring Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to report on countermeasures. The bill signals continued congressional appetite for sanctioning cartel economic infrastructure.

Bolivia is approaching a breaking point. President Rodrigo Paz warned Wednesday that the country faces an acute crisis after nearly a month of road blockades by miners, farmers, and Evo Morales supporters. Protests are causing estimated daily economic losses exceeding $50 million nationwide.

Congress passed a bill Thursday enabling Paz to declare a state of emergency and deploy soldiers to clear blockades. Security forces have used tear gas and arrested over 120 people so far; Paz has resisted calls for greater force. He slashed his own salary in half, fired the labor minister, and appointed an indigenous lawyer to replace him — moves widely read as attempts to split the protest coalition.

Morales' supporters are reportedly reinforcing blockades out of fear of his arrest. Analysts cited in Peruvian media describe a contradictory government strategy: calling for dialogue while criminalizing protest, with no credible minimum political agreement on fuel, prices, or economic adjustment.

Cuba's energy crisis deepened Thursday after a Russian tanker carrying 240,000 barrels of diesel diverted away from the island. The diversion comes amid sustained U.S. pressure on Russian and Venezuelan oil suppliers to Cuba. China delivered a tranche of humanitarian aid this week as food shortages worsen.

The U.S. military has spent months building up naval assets in the Caribbean, with The Independent reporting Thursday that forces are assessed as ready for contingency operations. A Cuban diplomat told PBS that Havana is not seeking conflict but is prepared to defend itself. A Canadian travel advisory was updated Thursday reflecting deteriorating conditions on the island.

The Trump administration's stated posture — that a 'failed state 90 miles from U.S. shores is a national security threat' — is being read regionally as preparation for escalatory action. Multiple analysts are drawing explicit parallels to the Venezuelan playbook.

Chile, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador signed the 'Compromiso de Santiago' on Thursday, May 29, committing to a joint roadmap against transnational organized crime and drug trafficking. The signing ceremony in Santiago was led by Chilean President José Antonio Kast. The pact calls for shared intelligence, coordination against financial flows, and joint border security measures.

CNN en Español and EFE reported that the five governments will now develop concrete implementation protocols. The cost context: organized crime and violence amounted to 3.4% of Latin America's GDP in 2022, according to the Inter-American Development Bank. The Compromiso de Santiago is a direct response to that trend — and a signal that southern cone governments see the threat as cross-border rather than domestic.

The pact notably excludes Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela — the three countries generating the most criminal pressure on the signing states. That's not an oversight; it's a reflection of political divergence on how to handle each of those bilateral relationships.

The Pentagon is actively pressing Honduras to accept joint U.S. military counterdrug operations, per the same NYT sources who reported the Guatemala agreement. Infobae reported Thursday that U.S.-Honduras military cooperation talks are in progress, with Washington framing the Honduran arrangement as part of a broader strategy to encircle Mexico.

InSight Crime's weekly radar flagged mounting massacres in Honduras as a distinct trend separate from the Guatemala-U.S. negotiations. The TPS termination for Hondurans — confirmed by USCIS — removes a key protection for over 76,000 Hondurans in the U.S., which analysts expect will drive increased irregular migration pressure and potential gang recruitment in-country as deportees return.

Nicaragua surfaced separately: human rights organizations warned this week about conditions for political prisoners following the death of Brooklyn Rivera, raising alarms about treatment of detainees in Ortega-era facilities.

Ecuador's internal security situation remains fragile, with LatinAmerican Post reporting that the government's curfew strategy is increasingly being tested as criminal organizations operate around enforcement gaps. No major new incident was confirmed in the last 24 hours, but Ecuador's participation in the Compromiso de Santiago signals that Quito is seeking multilateral cover for a problem it cannot solve unilaterally.

A legal controversy over Caso Aquiles Álvarez — involving alleged judicial instrumentalization — attracted renewed attention from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, with defense lawyers warning about prosecutorial deterioration. The case touches on political-criminal intersection dynamics in Guayaquil.

The U.S. Embassy in Panama and Panamanian authorities jointly deployed advanced cargo scanning systems in the Colón Free Zone on Thursday — targeting drug flows, fentanyl precursors, and weapons used by transnational criminal organizations. The U.S. framed the deployment as a model for regional interdiction without compromising legitimate trade.

Costa Rica and Panama are conducting parallel diplomatic outreach: foreign ministers Manuel Tovar (Costa Rica) and Javier Martínez-Acha (Panama) met in New York on the sidelines of a UN Security Council session, announcing a joint agenda covering security, migration, customs, and trade. A longstanding commercial dispute — Panama had blocked Costa Rican agricultural products — remains on the table but both sides are signaling movement.

USCIS confirmed that TPS for Haitian nationals has been terminated by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. Dozens of Haitians with TPS status rallied in front of the U.S. Supreme Court Thursday in opposition to the termination, which is now in legal proceedings. The termination — if upheld — affects a significant Haitian diaspora population and will create additional migration pressure on a country where gang control of Port-au-Prince has not meaningfully changed.

The Caribbean's broader militarization context (the U.S. naval buildup, boat strikes, Cuba pressure) is being felt across the region. Caribbean policy analysts warned Thursday in op-ed coverage that Washington is normalizing the region as a military-pressure theater, with civilians in Haiti, Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica living under the residual effects.