In-depth daily coverage of armed conflicts, cartel violence, political instability, and security developments across North, Central, and South America.
On Thursday, March 26, U.S. Southern Command released video of the March 25 Caribbean boat strike that killed four men, bringing the Operation Southern Spear death toll to approximately 163. Former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and wife Cilia Flores appeared in Manhattan federal court as defense attorneys argued the drug trafficking charges should be dismissed over blocked legal fees. In Colombia, an ELN explosive device struck a military convoy near Cúcuta, injuring five soldiers and signaling a likely end to the group's February ceasefire. The UN Human Rights Council convened a formal session on Haiti, describing a "vortex of violence" as the Haitian National Police reported 43 suspected gang members killed in 32 operations in Q1 2026. Trinidad and Tobago security forces rescued a kidnapped businesswoman from a vessel bound for Venezuela and detained 11 suspects, including six Venezuelan nationals. Honduras Congress voted 93 to 128 to remove Attorney General Johel Zelaya, with the Supreme Court president resigning hours later. Cuba's power grid reached its worst deficit levels of the year at 1,955 MW below demand. Chile police deployed water cannons against student protesters as a fuel price hike took effect, while Argentina formally designated the CJNG a terrorist organization and Bolivia's capital was paralyzed by an indefinite transport strike.
Joint Task Force Southern Spear released aerial footage on March 26 of the March 25 kinetic strike on an alleged narco-trafficking vessel in the Caribbean Sea that killed four men. The video, posted on social media by SOUTHCOM, shows the vessel destroyed by an aerial munition with no survivors recovered. The strike was the 47th of Operation Southern Spear and the third since Operation Epic Fury against Iran launched February 28. The campaign's confirmed death toll stands at approximately 163 people across 47 destroyed vessels since the September 2, 2025 start. Legal challenges continue: the ACLU and Center for Constitutional Rights have active lawsuits seeking disclosure of the Pentagon's legal justification, and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights held its inaugural hearing on the strikes on March 12.
The USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and Carrier Strike Group 11 were underway in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility as part of Southern Seas 2026, an announced circumnavigation exercise with Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Uruguay. The Nimitz deployment is its final operational voyage before decommissioning. The carrier's presence in the hemisphere coincides with approximately 2,000 to 3,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division deploying to CENTCOM for the Iran campaign, demonstrating Washington's intent to sustain a Western Hemisphere posture simultaneously.
In Ecuador, Operation Total Extermination, the joint U.S.-Ecuadorian military campaign launched March 3, remained active along the Colombia border. SOUTHCOM's publication Diálogo Américas featured a detailed account on March 26 of Ecuador's intensified campaign, quoting Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo Rendón describing the gangs as "terrorist organizations with military capabilities comparable to those of an army." Pentagon officials told Congress the operations were "just the beginning" of a broader Americas Counter Cartel Coalition signed by 17 nations at Trump's March 7 Shield of the Americas summit. Operations in March included destruction of a narco-submarine, seizure of approximately 1.6 tons of narcotics, and multinational arrests targeting Los Lobos networks.
Former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores appeared before Judge Alvin Hellerstein at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse in Manhattan on March 26 for their second federal court hearing since the January 5 arraignment. Both were present at the defense table in jail uniforms with translation headphones. Defense attorney Barry Pollack argued the four-count narco-terrorism and cocaine importation conspiracy charges should be dismissed because the U.S. Treasury's OFAC reversed approval for Venezuelan government funds to pay legal fees within three hours of granting it, which Pollack characterized as a Sixth Amendment violation. Prosecutor Kyle Wirshba called it "a unique case that has not come before the judiciary before." The hearing ended without a future court date being set. Pollack warned he would withdraw from the case if charges are not dismissed. Approximately 70 protesters gathered outside the courthouse.
Maduro, captured in Venezuela by U.S. forces during Operation Absolute Resolve on January 3, remains held at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center. Acting president Delcy Rodríguez was in Miami on March 26 pitching Venezuela's newly opened oil sector to investors at the FII Priority summit. Since taking power on January 5, Rodríguez has signed amnesty laws resulting in 621 political prisoner releases, reformed hydrocarbon regulations, and restored diplomatic relations with the United States. On March 18, she replaced longtime Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino in the most significant military realignment since Maduro's capture. The U.S. formally recognized her authority on March 12. Trump remarked on March 26 that he could "go to Venezuela and run for president against Delcy."
An ELN explosive device struck a Colombian Army convoy on the Anillo Vial Occidental road in Cúcuta, Norte de Santander on the night of March 25, injuring five soldiers and damaging road infrastructure. The attack is significant because the ELN had declared a unilateral ceasefire on February 20 ahead of the March 8 congressional elections. The strike indicates the ceasefire has ended or been violated, consistent with the broader collapse of President Gustavo Petro's Total Peace negotiations. The ELN fields approximately 5,000 fighters across Colombia and Venezuela. Peace talks have been suspended since January 2025 following the Catatumbo offensive, which killed over 166 people and displaced more than 100,000.
Colombia remained in the final day of three days of national mourning for the 69 victims of the March 23 C-130H Hercules crash at Caucaya Airport in Putumayo. Forensic identification work continued. The black box was recovered, with three hypotheses under investigation: mechanical failure, pilot error, or excess weight. Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez announced 3.7 trillion Colombian pesos in military investment for 2026, a 47% increase over the prior year. The C-130H involved was U.S.-donated in 2020. On March 24, Colombia's attorney general issued arrest warrants for seven Segunda Marquetalia leaders including Iván Márquez and Jhon 40 over the June 2025 assassination of Senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe, the first killing of a Colombian presidential candidate in three decades.
The Catatumbo region remained under sustained military deployment, with 11,000 troops in place. The Clan del Golfo and Autodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra Nevada were actively attempting to expand into the contested zone following the end of electoral truces from the March 8 congressional elections. The Global Terrorism Index 2026 shows Colombia returning to the top 10 most terrorism-affected countries, with attacks rising from 301 in 2024 to 442 in 2025 and 213 conflict deaths, the highest on record since tracking began. Armed group membership has grown approximately 85% since 2017 to at least 25,000 fighters.
The UN Human Rights Council held a formal session on March 26 in which Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al-Nashif described Haiti as trapped in a "vortex of violence" and urged full implementation of the Security Council's arms embargo. The Council was briefed that gangs "kill, kidnap, beat and burn the bodies of anyone who gets in their way," with at least 5,500 killed and 2,600 injured between March 2025 and January 2026 according to UN figures. Approximately 65% of casualties occurred during security force operations against gangs. An estimated half of all gang members are children under 18, and more than one in five victims were struck by stray bullets.
On the ground in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian National Police held a press conference reporting that 43 suspected gang members were killed and two officers died during 32 anti-gang operations in Q1 2026 across the West, Central, and Artibonite departments. PNH Spokesperson Garry Desrosiers stated the results "reflect the Haitian National Police's consistent determination to fight crime." The U.S. State Department's Rewards for Justice program had announced the previous day a $3 million bounty for information about the financial networks of the Viv Ansanm coalition and Gran Grif, both designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations by Secretary of State Rubio. The bounty targets gang financing infrastructure rather than individual leaders, a tactical shift in the U.S. approach. Viv Ansanm, led by Jimmy Chérizier (Barbecue), controls approximately 90% of Port-au-Prince.
The Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission was completing its final drawdown, never having reached its 2,500-personnel target. The UN-backed Gang Suppression Force is expected to deploy in April with a target of 5,500 personnel by October 2026. Troops from Chad are training in the United States and will begin arriving in early April. A Mercy Corps survey found 99% of displaced Haitians had no job or income, and one-third of displaced women reported physical or sexual violence. Total internal displacement stood at 1.45 million, approaching 2010 earthquake levels.
Trinidad and Tobago security forces conducted a successful at-sea rescue on the evening of March 25 that produced 11 arrests on March 26. A 73-year-old businesswoman was seized from her San Juan home by four armed men and transported toward Venezuela by vessel. Acting on intelligence from the Coast Guard's 360-degree radar system, the T&T Coast Guard and Regiment intercepted the boat approximately one nautical mile off Corozal. Two suspects jumped overboard but were subsequently recovered. Eleven suspects were detained: six Venezuelan nationals and five Trinidadians. The victim was found unharmed. Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro described the operation as "a major breakthrough in dismantling an organised criminal network." The country remains under a State of Emergency declared March 3, with over 60 killings recorded in 2026 and 373 people detained since the emergency's declaration.
In Honduras, Congress voted 93 of 128 deputies on March 25 to remove Attorney General Johel Zelaya in an express impeachment proceeding. Hours later, Supreme Court Chief Justice Rebeca Ráquel resigned to avoid her own removal. Congress immediately installed pro-government ally Pablo Reyes as the replacement attorney general. Zelaya had reopened a criminal case against President Nasry "Tito" Asfura and sought to arrest former President Juan Orlando Hernández, who received a presidential pardon from Trump. The double removal consolidates executive-aligned control over Honduras's judicial institutions, representing the most significant institutional shift since Asfura took office on January 27.
Cuba's energy crisis reached new 2026 lows on March 26. Unión Eléctrica reported available generation of just 1,043 MW against demand of 2,334 MW, with a nighttime peak deficit forecast of 1,955 MW. The grid has collapsed entirely three times in March alone (March 4, 16, and 21). The WHO warned that Cuban hospitals were struggling to maintain emergency and intensive care services, with thousands of surgeries postponed. The crisis stems from an effective U.S. oil blockade since January 2026 after Venezuela's oil deliveries halted following Maduro's capture, and Trump executive orders threatening tariffs on countries selling oil to Cuba. Cuba is operating at approximately 40% of its fuel needs and has suffered seven nationwide blackouts in 18 months.
Chilean police fired water cannons at student protesters in central Santiago on March 26, the first significant street violence under President José Antonio Kast, inaugurated March 11. The demonstration coincided with a government-ordered fuel price hike that took effect the same day, driven by international oil prices above $100 per barrel linked to the Iran conflict. Kast had also rolled back 43 environmental protections in his first two weeks in office, generating large demonstrations earlier in the month. The combination of price increases and policy rollbacks posed an early political test for the president.
Argentina on March 26 formally designated the CJNG (Jalisco New Generation Cartel) a terrorist organization, placing it alongside Hamas and Iran's Quds Force on the country's terrorism list. President Javier Milei's office stated the designation was based on reports confirming "transnational illicit activities" and would "strengthen international cooperation." The move aligns with Trump's March 7 call for Latin American governments to employ military force against cartels. Separately, multiple polls showed Milei's approval rating falling approximately 5 points to 35 to 36%, its lowest level, following a cryptocurrency scandal. In Bolivia, an indefinite transport strike began at midnight March 26 in La Paz and El Alto after the Federación Departamental de Choferes shut down all public transit over poor-quality fuel damaging vehicle engines. The only functioning transit was the cable car system, which operated under massive queues. Transport leaders demanded the resignation of the hydrocarbons minister and YPFB president. The crisis traces to President Rodrigo Paz's December 2025 elimination of fuel subsidies, which doubled gasoline prices and triggered Bolivia's worst economic crisis in four decades.
The hemispheric security environment on March 26 continued to be shaped by Operation Epic Fury, the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran launched February 28. Trump granted Iran a 10-day extension to April 6 on the deadline for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Secretary of State Rubio called the operation "a favor for the world." The war's economic shockwave was directly visible in the Americas: Chile's fuel price hike, Bolivia's transport crisis, and Cuba's power failures all trace partly to oil above $100 per barrel. Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil had tightened security at the Triple Frontier over Hezbollah-related financing concerns. The simultaneous deployment of the USS Nimitz to SOUTHCOM and the 82nd Airborne to CENTCOM illustrates Washington's intent to maintain a two-front military posture, with Caribbean boat strikes and Operation Total Extermination in Ecuador continuing unabated even as the Middle East campaign consumed the bulk of U.S. attention.