Beyond the US election: Seven stories that shaped the Americas in 2024

The statesmanlike election successful the United States has dominated planetary headlines for overmuch of the past year.

From sentiment polls to rallies and the barbs traded connected the run trail, each eyes were turned to the showdown betwixt Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump connected November 5.

Since Trump’s decisive victory, overmuch of the satellite has shifted its focus to analysing what the erstwhile US president has planned for his 2nd word successful office, acceptable to statesman successful January.

But 2024 has not lone been astir Trump and American politics.

The past twelvemonth saw a slew of captious developments successful countries astir the world, from Israel’s deadly bombardment of the Gaza Strip to the devastating warfare successful Sudan and the caller ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

In the Americas region, 2024 was marked by changing governmental landscapes, crackdowns connected dissent, deadly unit and the effects of a worsening climate crisis.

Here’s a look astatine 7 stories that shaped the Americas this year.

Venezuela’s disputed election

Mass protests broke out successful Venezuela aft longtime President Nicolas Maduro was declared the victor of a 3rd word successful the country’s July 28 statesmanlike election.

With the authorities refusing to merchandise the accustomed voting tallies, the absorption published its ain documents that it said proved Maduro had claimed triumph done fraud.

Public choler astatine the results spilled into the streets for weeks aft the contention was called. Police fired teardrop state and rubber bullets to disperse thousands of demonstrators successful the capital, Caracas, and different cities.

Human Rights Watch reported that astatine slightest 23 protesters oregon bystanders, arsenic good arsenic 1 National Guard member, were killed successful the authorities crackdown. Thousands of Venezuelans besides were arrested.

Maduro blamed the protests connected his governmental opponents and overseas powers, accusing them of seeking to destabilise the South American country. He has promised to merchandise afloat ballot tallies but has yet to bash so.

In aboriginal September, a Venezuelan justice issued an apprehension warrant for absorption statesmanlike campaigner Edmundo Gonzalez, who had gone into hiding pursuing the vote. Gonzalez has since fled to Spain, wherever helium requested governmental asylum.

“We are witnessing an intensification of the state’s repressive machinery successful effect to what it perceives arsenic captious views, absorption oregon dissent,” Marta Valinas, seat of a United Nations fact-finding ngo connected Venezuela, said successful a report connected September 17.

Protesters successful Maracaibo, Venezuela, transportation Venezuela’s emblem successful the aftermath of the country’s contested predetermination connected July 30 [Isaac Urrutia/Reuters]

Haiti pack unit soars

Over the past 12 months, Haiti has experienced a deepening political, information and humanitarian situation arsenic authorities conflict to stem a question of deadly pack violence.

In precocious February, the concern deteriorated erstwhile almighty equipped groups launched coordinated attacks connected prisons and different authorities institutions successful the capital, Port-au-Prince. The pack leaders demanded the resignation of unelected Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

Henry stepped down successful March, and a transitional statesmanlike assembly was formed with the extremity of starring Haiti’s governmental modulation and organising elections. The assembly past named an interim premier minister, Garry Conille, successful May.

But the unit continued crossed Port-au-Prince, forcing tens of thousands of Haitians to fly their homes successful hunt of safety. Access to capable food, healthcare and different services was severely restricted, and reports of massacres, rape and different unit were frequent.

The deployment of a UN-backed, Kenyan-led constabulary mission has done small to halt the gangs, which are present believed to power astir 85 percent of the Haitian capital. Observers accidental the deployment is understaffed and lacks resources.

Meanwhile, governmental infighting betwixt the transitional statesmanlike assembly and Conille’s interim authorities led to the premier minister’s ouster successful November. An interim premier minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aime, was appointed successful his stead.

Brazilian constabulary accidental Bolsonaro progressive successful coup attempt

In November, constabulary successful Brazil announced bombshell allegations against erstwhile far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.

The lawsuit centres connected an alleged conspiracy to overturn Bolsonaro’s constrictive defeat successful the 2022 election.

Police accused Bolsonaro of taking portion successful a failed strategy aimed astatine preventing his left-wing rival, existent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, from taking bureau pursuing their intimately fought contention successful 2022.

They said successful a connection that Bolsonaro and 36 different people, including immoderate of the ex-president’s aides and erstwhile authorities ministers, had planned the “violent overthrow of the antiauthoritarian state”.

Bolsonaro, a erstwhile Brazilian service skipper who served arsenic president from 2019 to 2022, has denied immoderate wrongdoing and said helium is the unfortunate of a governmental witch hunt. He has promised to equine a ineligible “fight” successful his defence.

Jair Bolsonaro has denied immoderate wrongdoing and promised to motorboat a ineligible ‘fight’ to support his estimation [File: Adriano Machado/Reuters]

Sinaloa unit surges aft cartel boss’s arrest

It was a large twelvemonth successful Mexican politics, arsenic the state held the largest predetermination successful its past and Claudia Sheinbaum became its first pistillate president.

But the election was besides 1 of Mexico’s bloodiest – successful portion due to the fact that of the power of the country’s salient drug-smuggling cartels.

One authorities wherever the unit continues to rage is Sinaloa, successful the northwestern portion of the country. There, rivals wrong the Sinaloa Cartel person been battling to capable the powerfulness vacuum near aft co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia’s arrest.

US authorities detained Zambada connected July 25 on with Joaquin Guzman Lopez, 1 of the sons of different co-founder of the cartel, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

Zambada has said helium was kidnapped and taken against his volition to the US, wherever helium pleaded not blameworthy to a slew of transgression charges, including execution and cause trafficking.

The deteriorating concern successful Sinaloa has posed 1 of the archetypal large challenges to Sheinbaum since she took office successful aboriginal October, succeeding her mentor and chap Morena Party person Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Jacobo Quintero, a edifice proprietor successful Culiacan, the authorities capital, told Al Jazeera successful September that the metropolis had been brought to a standstill arsenic residents were acrophobic to permission their homes amid the violence.

“We’ve got astir 15 percent of our accustomed customers,” helium said. “People don’t privation to travel retired due to the fact that determination are risks. They’re scared.”

Energy crises deed Ecuador, Cuba

Ecuador, which has agelong grappled with a surge successful unit linked to cause trafficking, faced different unsafe menace this year: the effects of clime change.

A determination drought worsened by the El Nino upwind improvement forced Colombia to cut disconnected energy exports to the state successful April, spurring a situation for Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa.

The concern further deteriorated as grounds wildfires broke retired adjacent the capital, Quito, arsenic good arsenic successful different parts of the country. In November, Ecuador declared a 60-day authorities of emergency to assistance mobilise funds to respond to the blazes.

The drought — wide viewed arsenic the worst to deed Ecuador successful decades — has hampered h2o levels astatine the hydroelectric dams that powerfulness overmuch of the country. The authorities person ordered hours-long regular powerfulness cuts arsenic they impulse residents to conserve electricity.

A akin crisis has unfolded successful Cuba, wherever authorities person imposed rolling regular blackouts successful an effort to enactment up dwindling supplies of energy connected the Caribbean island.

Cuba’s nationalist powerfulness grid collapsed respective times successful 2024, starring to a fig of nationwide blackouts implicit respective weeks betwixt October and aboriginal December.

The country’s powerfulness plants are ageing, and the Cuban authorities person struggled to get capable lipid to support them moving amid shrinking imports from Russia, Venezuela and Mexico.

Powerful storms besides knocked retired the grid successful October and November arsenic they lashed Cuba with beardown winds and tempest surges.

Canada accuses Indian agents of being progressive successful Sikh activist’s killing

A simmering diplomat enactment betwixt Canada and India reignited successful October erstwhile Canadian officials said they had grounds showing Indian authorities agents took portion successful activities that threatened Canadian nationalist security.

The national Royal Canadian Mounted Police said it had recovered grounds Indian agents participated “in superior transgression enactment successful Canada”, with links “to homicides and convulsive acts” and interference successful antiauthoritarian processes, among different things.

Ties betwixt Ottawa and New Delhi soured successful 2023 aft Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada was investigating imaginable ties betwixt India and the sidesplitting of a salient Canadian Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

The allegations sent shockwaves crossed the country and spurred an aggravated effect from New Delhi, which rejected them outright.

After the latest accusations were made nationalist successful October, Canada ordered the expulsion of six Indian diplomatic and consular staff. Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said the individuals were considered “persons of interest” successful Nijjar’s case.

In a tit-for-tat move, the Indian authorities besides ordered six Canadian consular unit to leave.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs vehemently rejected Canada’s allegations, saying successful a statement that “on the pretext of an investigation, determination is simply a deliberate strategy of smearing India for governmental gains”.

Argentina’s poorness complaint soars

Poverty has soared successful Argentina implicit the past twelvemonth arsenic far-right President Javier Milei — sworn successful astatine the extremity of 2023 — pursued his libertarian economical agenda and slashed authorities programmes.

“This is precise hard. Before, we had a home. We had entree to subsidies. But [the government] abruptly took everything away,” Marianela Abasto, 24, recently told Al Jazeera astatine a crockery room successful the capital, Buenos Aires. “I don’t cognize what we are going to do.”

Milei’s hardline reforms person drawn large protests nationally, with thousands taking to the streets successful June implicit planned austerity measures.

Yet contempt the pushback, the Argentinian president has retained his supporters, and helium continues to beryllium held up arsenic a occurrence awesome for the planetary acold right.

Javier Milei, a far-right libertarian, has slashed authorities spending and imposed austerity measures [File: Juan Mabromata/AFP]