Year in Review: Top posts of 2013

1. Gangs in Central America

“Leaving a gang is not easy, however. Many of the ex-gang members Brenneman interviewed cited “the morgue rule,” i.e. that the only path out of a gang was death. Primarily this is because gangs fear that deserters will start their own splinter gangs or share valuable information with rivals.

But there is one other choice for deserters that some gang leaders have found acceptable: membership in an evangelical church.”

2. Government Repression of the Mayan Ixil People 

“In the next 24 hours, hundreds of police and military forces will occupy on the small town of Nebaj nestled in the mountains of northern Guatemala.

The military and police forces are being sent to forcefully reinstate ex-mayor Virgilio Bernal of the governing party who lost the 2011 municipal elections by more than 3,000 votes.  Due to a confusing legal battle regarding anomalies in the 2011 election ballot, the Guatemalan electoral authorities determined that the elections would be repeated and the Bernal, as ex-mayor, should immediately resume office.”

3. The Quinoa Question: Part 1

“The problem with all of these articles and especially Blythman’s, is that they tend to overlook or turn a blind eye to a highly desired outcome of price increases: farmers are also earning more money for their crops. As Latin America continues to urbanize at enormous rates, rural regions especially deal with the effects of underdevelopment, lack of growth, and inequitable distribution of resources, it is important to remember that the rising price of quinoa represents a success for its farmers and a goal met for those organizations working to support the livelihoods of farmers in rural Bolivia and Peru.”

4. Colombia Anti-Narcotics Police Destroy Crops in Church MCC Project 

“Anti-narcotics police in Colombia have fumigated and destroyed rice and cacao crops that were part of an MB Church and MCC community project last month.

Despite promises of the Government of Colombia that there would be no more aerial fumigation, this one occurred in mid-May, 2013 without prior warning to the people in the area.

This major agricultural project of the regional Mennonite Brethren Church, called “Weaving Hope” supported farmers to grow and process rice and cacao (to make chocolate) as an alternative to growing illicit crops (such as coca for cocaine).”

5. Residents of Haiti’s Vilaj Mozayik Violently Evicted 

“Residents of the Haitian camp Vilaj Mozayik were rudely awakened Saturday morning to the sounds of yelling and fighting outside their makeshift structures and tents.  It seemed like a bad dream to the residents who had settled here after fleeing Port au Prince in search of safety from evictions.

Violence erupted moments later, injuring at least six residents of Vilaj Mozayik, including Sheila Joachim, who is four-months pregnant, according to a source close to MCC.”