Weekly Report - 16 April 2020 (WR-20-15)

Despite the unilateral ceasefire declared by the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN), in place since 1 April, the outlook for a reduction in violence in Colombia is not encouraging.... Read More

Opposition leader Juan Guaidó has described the challenge facing Venezuela as a ‘complex humanitarian emergency’, linked not simply to a single issue, but to an interlocking network of crises.... Read More

Despite being ranked by the World Health Organization (WHO) as having one of the weakest healthcare systems in Latin America, the much-feared medical impact of coronavirus (Covid-19) in Bolivia seems thus far to have been largely avoided, with just 397 cases and 28 deaths reported as of 15 April.... Read More

Political reputations are made or destroyed in a crisis.... Read More

The impending threat of a surge in coronavirus (Covid-19) cases, with public health services already beginning to be stretched beyond capacity in certain states, has not put an end to political tensions and power struggles in Brazil.... Read More

While the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has forced people into their homes and ground many industries to a halt, it does not appear to have impacted the activity of those who drive deforestation in Brazil, as figures point to a 29.9% annual increase in Amazon forest loss for the month of March.... Read More

Argentine President Alberto Fernández announced on 10 April that the coronavirus (Covid-19) lockdown, originally imposed on 20 March, would be extended until 27 April.... Read More

Since the outbreak of wide-ranging protests last year, Chile’s President Sebastián Piñera and some of his supporters have shown an ability to make unforced errors in politically sensitive areas.... Read More

Chile’s President Sebastián Piñera appears to be sensitive to claims that Argentina’s left-of-centre government is handling the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic better than his right-of-centre government.... Read More

PARAGUAY | Fiscal deficit creeps up.... Read More

The federal government led by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador may insist that it is dealing with the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic in an exemplary manner, with the situation under control in Mexico, but this is now being questioned by governors belonging to the ruling left-wing Movimiento Regeneración Nacional (Morena), who complain that it has not made enough medical equipment available for the public health system to treat all Covid-19 patients safely.... Read More

MEXICO | Mexican standoff over oil production.... Read More

Presidential and legislative elections scheduled for next month will be postponed until July.... Read More

Like his counterparts in Central America and beyond, Guatemala’s President Alejandro Giammattei has taken drastic steps to stop the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19) and mitigate the economic impact of such measures.... Read More

As if Ecuador’s economic problems as it prepares to confront the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic were not challenging enough already, the country has been compelled to halt oil exports.... Read More

“Brazil is a problem.... Read More