Latin America & The Caribbean Weekly Situation Update (As of 14 August 2023)

ECUADOR: INSECURITY & MIGRATION

KEY FIGURES.

50K ECUADORIANS HAVE CROSSED INTO PANAMA AND HONDURAS SO FAR THIS YEAR

Only two weeks after President Guillermo Lasso declared a state of emergency due to a surge in violence, assailants gunned down Fernando Villavicencio, a 59-year-old former journalist turned presidential candidate, after a rally in Quito on 9 August. Violence has been a central campaign theme, particularly after the recent murders of a mayor and a legislative candidate elsewhere in the country. The growing insecurity has previously affected humanitarian operations. The Esmeraldas province, which experienced floods that prompted response coordination support earlier in 2023, has seen violence escalate in recent years. With soaring rates of criminal violence and more than 3,500 homicides so far this year, more and more Ecuadorians are fleeing their country. So far in 2023, migration authorities have recorded 25,121 Ecuadorians crossing the Darien Gap in Panama and 24,800 Ecuadorians entering irregularly through Honduras - numbers close to or higher than in all of 2022 in the respective countries of entry, and usually trailing only Venezuela as the most frequently reported country of origin.

CENTRAL AMERICA: FOOD INSECURITY

KEY FIGURES

8M PEOPLE IN CENTRAL AMERICA ARE MODERATELY OR SEVERELY HUNGRY

Governments and partner organisations continue to warn of increasing food insecurity in the Dry Corridor in Central America. The transition to El Niño conditions has led to above-average temperatures and a delay in the start of rains in the region, affecting crop production. Since May, rainfall has been deficient and erratic, with areas in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua reporting accumulated amounts of less than 55 percent of the average. The Permanent Commission of Contingencies (COPECO) in Honduras declared an indefinite Red Alert for 140 municipalities due to meteorological drought in June. Temperatures have also been high, increasing heat stress and further reducing soil moisture available for crops. Between July and August, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) predicts reductions of at least 25 percent in subsistence production and some medium-sized producers that do not have irrigation. The El Salvadorian Chamber of Small and Medium Agricultural Producers (CAMPO) reports significant crop losses across the country due to irregular El Niño-linked drought between May and June and the canícula period (the hottest period of the summer) in July.

These losses include more than 54.5 million kgs of maize (an 18 per cent loss in production) and more than 1.8 million kgs of bean (a 15 per cent loss), accounting for about US$21.5 million in economic losses. Against initial projections for 2023-2024 of grain production reaching 1.98 billion kgs, which covers about 80 per cent of national demand, CAMPO projects a potential loss of more than 640 million kgs of basic grains by the end of 2023. In Central America, poor, rural households will suffer the greatest impacts of subsistence reduction, above average food and living expenses and below average income.

According to WFP, some 8 million people in the region are already moderately to severely hungry. Facing high food prices and market dependency, the proportion of households in crisis or emergency level food insecurity is expected to increase.

PERU: FLOODING

KEY FIGURES

840K PEOPLE AFFECTED BY FLOODING IN EARLY 2023

At the beginning of 2023, widespread flooding hit Peru, causing significant damage and prompting the allocation of US$6.9 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). Official figures from the government’s post-flood damage assessments report that the floods affected 839,760 people, left 123,691 homeless, damaged 284,514 homes and destroyed a further 48,903. The situation remains particularly critical in the Lambayeque department, where 24 shelters remain active with a population of 1,300 people. The flooding also triggered an unprecedented dengue epidemic, with more than 220,000 cases registered so far this year. The Ministry of Health declared a health emergency in response to the dengue outbreak in 20 out of 25 regions in the country. As communities rebuild, the government is preparing for future impacts due to the El Niño phenomenon. It is estimated that in Peru that the effects of El Niño will reach their peak at the end of 2023 or the beginning of 2024, bring above average rainfall and the risk of further flooding or related events. To support municipality and regional governments in preparedness actions, the Peruvian Government has announced the investment of US$827 million.