January 15 – Venezuela
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro declares a two-month economic state of emergency. This will allow him to rule by decree to deal with a deepening economic crisis. In 2015, the Venezuelan economy contracted by 10 percent, inflation skyrocketed to 159 percent, and unemployment jumped to over 14 percent. The country’s economy relies on exports of its oil, but dropping prices in the last year and a half decreased the country’s revenues by more than 60 percent.
February 1 – Latin America
The World Health Organization (WHO) declares a global public health emergency after a significant spike in cases of microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome throughout Americas, which are linked to the mosquito-transmitted Zika virus. Microcephaly is a condition where a baby is born with an underdeveloped brain, while the Guilkain-Barre syndrome is a rare nervous system disorder. Cases of microcephaly have been centered in north-east Brazil, but the outbreak of the virus has affected more than 20 countries. There is no treatment or vaccine available. The only way to fight Zika at the moment is to destroy the mosquito-breading environments, such as stagnant waters, and protection against mosquito bites. Working with partners, WHO is leading efforts to develop vaccines, therapies, and diagnostic tests.
February 16 – Venezuela
Three countries from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) – Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Venezuela – and Russia agree to freeze oil production at the January 2016 level. Oversupply of oil has led to drop in oil prices by 70 percent since 2014. For oil producing and exporting countries, this means a significant drop in revenue, forcing them to cut spending and introduce unpopular reforms.
February 21 – Bolivia
Bolivia’s president, Evo Morales, narrowly loses a referendum on whether he should be allowed to run for a fourth term as president. His third terms expires in 2020. He is the first indigenous president of Bolivia. Under his leadership, the country’s economy has been steadily growing. Although he is still a very popular leader, many people believe that he should not be in office for 19 years.
February 25 – Jamaica
The opposition Labour Party in Jamaica narrowly wins parliamentary elections, winning 33 of 63 seats. The party’s leader, Andrew Holness, promises he will work to improve the country’s economy by creating jobs and investing in healthcare and education. He defeats the incumbent Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller of the People’s National Party. Jamaica’s faces economic challenges, including a high rate of youth unemployment and heavy debt. Under Prime Minister Miller, in 2013, Jamaica took a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and agreed to austerity measures in exchange. The economy has shown signs of improvement recently.
March 3 – Honduras
Berta Cáceres, a Honduran environmental activist and indigenous leader of the Lenca people, is assassinated near her home by armed men. For years, she received threats against her life. She was co-founder and coordinator of the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH). In 2015, she received the Goldman Environmental Prize, one of the most prestigious awards for grassroots environmentalism. One of her successful campaigns was forcing the world’s largest dam builder, Chinese state-owned Sinohydro, to cancel building the Agua Zarca Dam on the sacred Gualcarque River. The project was approved by Honduras without consulting the indigenous Lenca people, which violated international treaties governing the rights of indigenous peoples. If built, the dam would have cut off the supply of water, food and medicine for the Lenca people.
March 13 – Brazil
An estimated 3.5 million people take part in anti-government protests across Brazil, demanding the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff and the end of corruption. Brazil is experiencing its worst recession in decades. The economy shrunk by over 3 percent in 2015, inflation reached almost 9 percent, a 12-year high, and unemployment has increased to almost 9 percent. On top of this, problems caused by the zika virus and massive corruption scandals that involve top politicians have eroded the president’s approval ratings that fell to a low 11 percent. In December 2015, the parliament agreed to launch impeachment proceedings against President Rousseff.
March 20 – Cuba
United States President Barack Obama pays a historic three-day visit to Cuba, the first visit by a sitting American president since Calvin Coolidge in 1928. The main issues between the two countries are the US trade embargo and Cuba’s poor record of human rights. The embargo imposed on Cuba 54 years ago costs the US economy an estimated $1.2 billion a year, but there is strong opposition in the U.S. Congress to remove it. The visit, however, symbolizes a significant turnaround in the US-Cuban relations.
April 18 – Brazil
Brazil’s lower house of parliament votes to start impeachment proceedings against the country’s president, President Dilma Rousseff. She is accused of manipulating the governments’ accounts during her reelection campaign in 2014. She denies the accusations, and her supporters accuse the Congress of a coup. Her case moves now to the Senate, which is expected to suspend her during a formal impeachment trial.
April 21 – Mexico
Authorities in the US state of California discover a sophisticated cross-border drug tunnel that ran from a home in Tijuana, Mexico to a suburb in San Diego, California. They also seize a ton of cocaine valued at around $22 million and seven tons of marijuana. The nearly half-a-mile- tunnel was equipped with lights, ventilation, a rail system and a motorized freight elevator capable of carrying up to 10 people.
May 12 – Brazil
The Senate of Brazil overwhelmingly votes to temporarily suspend Dilma Rousseff as president until it concludes proceedings of her impeachment. Vice President Michel Temer will act as President of Brazil during the suspension. She is accused of manipulating government finances to hide a growing public deficit ahead of her 2014 reelection. She denies the charges and describes the move as a coup.
May 13 – Venezuela
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro declares a state of emergency for 60 days, which, he says, will allow him to deal with the country’s severe economic crisis. The opposition-controlled parliament rejects the move and says it violates the constitution. Economic policies under Hugo Chavez and now Nicolas Maduro combined with plummeting global oil prices have resulted in a severe economic crisis and chronic shortages of basic goods and necessities, such as medicine and electric power. This has led to hours-long lines to supermarkets, black market prices, a plummeting value of the bolivar currency, looting of staples, power outages and a rolling blackout program, as well as a reduced government workweek to only Monday and Tuesday. All of this is causing widespread political unrest.
May 16 – Colombia
Colombian authorities seize eight tons of cocaine, the largest haul of illegal drugs in Colombia ever. The drugs were hidden at a banana plantation in the coastal town of Turb and belonged to Clan Usuga, a ruthless drug trafficking neo-paramilitary group with about 3,000 members.
May 25 – Cuba
Cuba announces it will allow small and medium-sized private businesses. The move is part of the ongoing economic reforms introduced by Cuba’s president, Raul Castro. Other reforms include self-employment in some job categories and foreign investment.
June 5 – Peru
Peru’s economist Pedro Pablo Kuczynski narrowly defeats Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of jailed former president Alberto Fujimori, in the second round of Peru’s presidential elections. Kuczynski held positions in the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund before being designated as general manager of Peru’s Central Reserve Bank. He also served as Minister of Energy and Mines in the early 1980s under President Fernando Belaúnde Terry, and as Minister of Economy and Finance and Prime Minister under President Alejandro Toledo in the 2000s. As an economist, Kuczynski promises to focus of Peru’s economic growth.
June 26 – Panama
The expanded Panama Canal opens for commercial operations, with the Chinese-owned container ship Cosco Shipping Panama being the first one to use the third set of locks. The new locks allow transit of larger ships with a greater cargo capacity. The original Panama Canal was built by the U.S., opened in 1914 and transferred to Panama in 1999.
July 17 – Venezuela / Colombia
After Venezuela temporarily opens its border with Colombia, more than 123,000 Venezuelans flood into Colombia in just two days to shop for basic foods and medicines. As a result of falling oil prices and failed government policies, Venezuela has been suffering from severe economic crisis with food in short supply.
August 2 – Bolivia / Colombia / Peru
Authorities in Bolivia intercept more than seven tons of cocaine valued at $350 million hidden in cargo trucks. The transports headed to sea ports in Chile and then for the streets in the United States. Bolivia is the world’s third largest producer of cocaine after Peru and Colombia.[1] (August 3): In a large-scale operation, Colombian authorities destroy over 100 cocaine laboratories in the south-east capable of producing 100 tons of the drugs annually. In a new strategy to fight illegal coca production, Colombia focuses on producers and traffickers rather than farmers.
More on Colombia as the world’s top coca producer
August 25 – Colombia
After four years of negotiations, the Colombian government and the guerilla movement, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army known as FARC, reach a historic peace agreement signed in Havana, Cuba. The agreement ends the 50-year armed conflict between the government and FARC that has caused more than 220,000 deaths and the displacement of more than 6 million people.[2] The deal formally ends bilateral hostilities and FARC accepts disarmament. The agreement also discusses rural reform, reparations and land restitution to victims, reintegrating FARC fighters into civilian life, and addresses the socio-economic disparities and political exclusion that have been at the root of the conflict. The final agreement has to be ratified by a referendum held on October 2 with at least 13 percent of the votes.
August 31 – Brazil
Brazil’s Senate votes in favor of impeaching the country’s president, Dilma Rousseff, after she was found guilty of breaking budgetary laws during the impeachment trial. Her removal from office ends 13 years of her Workers’ Party in power. However, another motion to keep her out of any public office for eight years does not pass. Rousseff claims that the charges were politically motivated and trumped up by the right-wing political rivals. Michel Temer, Rousseff’s Vice President since 2011 and as Acting President since May 2016, when Rousseff was suspended to face her impeachment trial, will govern as Interim President until the end of Rousseff’s term of January 1, 2019. Temer, who is from the center-right Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), promises to work to improve Brazil’s economy, which is suffering from one of the worst recessions in the country’s history.
October 2 – Colombia
The Colombian people reject the final peace agreement between the Colombian government and FARC in a national referendum. It fails by the narrowest of margins with 50.2 percent voting against it and 49.8 percent voting in favor.[3] It is a surprising outcome of the peace negotiations that took four years to end the 52-year war. Those who voted against the deal argue that the agreement is too lenient on the rebels and do not trust them to lay down arms for good. (October 7): The Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the conflict with the FARC in Colombia. He dedicates the award to all victims of the conflict and vows to continue the search for a peace solution.
A List of all Nobel Peace Prizes since 1901.
October 4 – Haiti
The category four hurricane Matthew, with winds of about 140mph, makes landfall close to Haiti’s westernmost point, devastating the island country that was still recovering from the 2010 earthquake and subsequent outbreak of cholera. The hurricane killed an estimated 546 people, with more than 120 still missing.[4] It left entire towns in ruins, caused extensive flooding and mudslides, damaged roads and buildings, and left 1.4 million people in need of immediate assistance. The hurricane damaged fishing boats and destroyed large areas of crops causing concerns about famine. Corrupt and inefficient government is blamed for the extent of casualties.
Satellite images showing destruction in Haiti after Hurricane Matthew
November 6 – Nicaragua
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega wins a third consecutive and a fourth overall term in office in a landslide election with 72 percent of the vote.[5] His wife, Rosario Murillo, who has already been playing an important role in his administration, ran as his vice -presidential running mate. Ortega, former guerrilla leader of the Sandinista rebels who overthrew the Somoza dynasty in 1979, is popular for his social programs and improved economy. The opposition calls the election a farce and accuses him of authoritarian ambitions. International observers were not allowed to monitor the election.
November 20 – Haiti
Businessman Jovenel Moise defeats his rival Jude Celestin and wins Haiti’s presidential election with 55.6 percent of the vote. However, the turnout was only 21 percent.[6] Jovenel Moise also won the previous election held in October 2015, but the results were annulled after his opponent Jude Celestin disputed the results alleging widespread fraud.
November 25 – Cuba
Cuba’s former president and the leader of the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro, dies at the age of 90. Castro seized power in Cuba in 1959 and turned Cuba into a Communist country. He stepped down in 2008 due to ill health and passed the presidency to his brother, Raul Castro. Over the years, human rights groups and western governments have criticized Castro for human rights abuses and have accused him of being a ruthless dictator who brutally suppressed opposition and destroyed Cuban economy. Many in Cuba are celebrating Castro’s death. Others, however, consider Castro a hero who returned the country to the people and guaranteed social programs.
Fidel Castro: A life in pictures