David Mora
@dmoravera.bsky.social
Investigative reporter/researcher. Now digging into violence and organized crime in Mexico for @crisisgroup.org
Must-read debut report by @dmoravera.bsky.social on the criminal turf wars raging in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. President Claudia Sheinbaum should harness Trump's pressure to tackle official collusion and corruption that sustains organised crime in Mexico. www.crisisgroup.org/rpt/latin-am...
NEW REPORT | Sinaloa’s War of the Splinters: Fighting Crime in Mexico under U.S. Threat With criminal turf wars killing thousands, the government should harness U.S. pressure to tackle the official collusion and corruption sustaining organised crime. www.crisisgroup.org/rpt/latin-am...
7 July | New @crisisgroup.org report Sinaloa’s War of the Splinters: Fighting Crime in Mexico under U.S. Threat
NEW Q&A | Right and Left Vie for Victory in Colombia under U.S. Shadow Colombians go to the polls on 31 May to select a new president. In this Q&A, Glaeldys González Calanche and Víctor Aguilar Pereira explain what is at stake.
Right and Left Vie for Victory in Colombia under U.S. Shadow | International Crisis Group
Colombians go to the polls on 31 May to select a new president. In this Q&A, Crisis Group experts Glaeldys González Calanche and Víctor Aguilar Pereira explain what is at stake.
crisisgroup.org
"If Mexico’s war on drugs is to achieve more than fleeting military victories, the government must dislodge criminal groups from the areas they control and dismantle the support systems that keep them afloat". ✍️ @dmoravera.bsky.social in @foreignaffairs.com
Why Mexico’s Cartels Are So Hard to Defeat
The real test of Sheinbaum’s security strategy.
foreignaffairs.com
Read David Mora on Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s security strategy—and how Mexico can “turn short-term tactical victories into real strategic gains against criminal groups.”
Why Mexico’s Cartels Are So Hard to Defeat
The real test of Sheinbaum’s security strategy.
foreignaffairs.com
Foreign Affairs invited me to write about Mexico’s security strategy after the killing of crime boss El Mencho. While editing, the Trump admin indicted Sinaloa governor Rubén Rocha and others, pushing the bilateral relationship into even more volatile terrain www.foreignaffairs.com/guest-pass/r...
Why Mexico’s Cartels Are So Hard to Defeat
The real test of Sheinbaum’s security strategy.
foreignaffairs.com
"Investigations that end in the prosecution of corrupt political figures and cartel financiers—not just those who commit violence—will be crucial for Sheinbaum to turn short-term tactical victories into real strategic gains against criminal groups". ✍️ @dmoravera.bsky.social in @foreignaffairs.com
Why Mexico’s Cartels Are So Hard to Defeat
The real test of Sheinbaum’s security strategy.
foreignaffairs.com
The U.S. indicted the governor of Sinaloa state & other current and former Mexican officials on charges of ties to drug trafficking, which they deny. @dmoravera.bsky.social explains what's behind the charges and the complex political waters President Sheinbaum must navigate with the U.S.
USG just unsealed major indictment against Sinaloa gov Rubén Rocha + 8 current/former officials, charged with drug trafficking & weapons offenses. DOJ alleges Los Chapitos, one of Sinaloa Cartel’s main factions, would have helped Rocha win office in exchange for protection. Rocha denied everything.
🗒️ NEW ANALYST NOTEBOOK | Long Wait for Results in Peru’s Elections Ratchets Up Tensions Crisis Group expert @glaeldys.bsky.social examines the reasons for the delay and the implications of the first-round outcomes for the country’s next government.
Long Wait for Results in Peru’s Elections Ratchets Up Tensions | International Crisis Group
Crisis Group expert Glaeldys González Calanche examines the reasons for the delay and the implications of the first-round outcomes for the country’s next government
crisisgroup.org
Manzanillo accounts for much of Mexico’s illegal traffic. Chemical precursors get in; wood, wildlife and mercury go out. Mislabeling, corrupt authorities, strained port workers, limited scanning and inspection are all factors that help covering criminal activity under legit trade.
NEW Q&A | U.S. Snaps up Venezuela’s Oil and Rare Minerals in Race for Supplies Even before the price of oil spiked, the Trump administration was eyeing Venezuela’s natural resources. In this Q&A, Crisis Group experts explain the challenges lying ahead.
U.S. Snaps up Venezuela’s Oil and Rare Minerals in Race for Supplies | International Crisis Group
Even before the price of oil spiked, the Trump administration was eyeing Venezuela’s natural resources. There is now more urgency to getting access to petroleum and critical minerals. In this Q&A, Cri...
crisisgroup.org
NEW Q&A | Can the U.S. Cutoff Bring Change to Cuba? Cuba is facing its biggest humanitarian crisis and the greatest threat to its political status quo in decades. In this Q&A, we explain the causes of the island’s predicament and offer ways of easing it. www.crisisgroup.org/qna/latin-am...
Hunger in Havana: Can the U.S. Cutoff Bring Change to Cuba? | International Crisis Group
Cuba is facing its biggest humanitarian crisis and the greatest threat to its political status quo in decades, after the U.S. clamped down on its energy supply. In this Q&A, Crisis Group explains the ...
crisisgroup.org
Join us on 3 March for a timely webinar where RUSI experts and associates will explore the security, political and wider implications of the death of the leader of Mexico’s Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), ‘El Mencho’.
Webinar: After El Mencho: Mexico's Criminal Landscape
This timely webinar brings leading experts together to explore the security, political and wider implications of the death of CJNG leader, ‘El Mencho'.
my.rusi.org
📌 Join @crisisgroup.org's @dmoravera.bsky.social on Tuesday, 3 March, for a @rusi.bsky.social webinar on Mexico's criminal landscape after the killing of the leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel. ⏰ 14:00 – 15:30 GMT Register here 🔽 my.rusi.org/events/webin...
Webinar: After El Mencho: Mexico's Criminal Landscape
This timely webinar brings leading experts together to explore the security, political and wider implications of the death of CJNG leader, ‘El Mencho’.
my.rusi.org
NEW ANALYST'S NOTEBOOK | Killing of Mexican Cartel Boss Brings Diplomatic Victory and Domestic Mayhem @dmoravera.bsky.social analyses the potential fallout of the operation against the leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel. www.crisisgroup.org/anb/latin-am...
Killing of Mexican Cartel Boss Brings Diplomatic Victory and Domestic Mayhem | International Crisis Group
Crisis Group expert David Mora analyses how the operation against the leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel could affect relations with the United States and security at home
crisisgroup.org
MX Army killed El Mencho today. A win for Sheinbaum. USG is happy too. The Cartel was quick to react setting buses, trucks and businesses on fire, blockading streets and highways. Locals? Terrified. I’m in Guadalajara, a city that virtually emptied out. No public transport, people sheltered in place
Hoy no se puede hablar de la naturaleza del conflicto armado en #Colombia sin reconocer que hay niños y niñas obligados a participar en todas sus dimensiones. Hoy, escribo en @elpaisamerica.bsky.social sobre el reclutamiento de menores @latam.crisisgroup.org elpais.com/america-colo...
Colombia está perdiendo a sus niños en la guerra
El uso de niños combatientes es tanto una consecuencia de la evolución del conflicto como un factor que acelera esas dinámicas
elpais.com
Violence in Sinaloa hasn’t stopped. In just two weeks: mass kidnappings and overtly political attacks. The MX gov says Chapitos were behind them. On the abduction of 10 miners (at least 5 killed), Sec. Harfuch said it was a case of mistaken identity, Chapitos allegedly thought they were with Mayos.
This weekend, #Haiti entered a third chapter in its political transition since the 2021 slaying of President Jovenel Moïse. As the presidential council’s mandate expired, Prime Minister Didier Fils-Aimé became the sole head of the executive. Here’s what happened and what might come next 🔽
📒 NEW ANALYST’S NOTEBOOK | U.S. Gunboats Patrol Haiti’s Waters amid Wrangling over a New Government Crisis Group expert @diegodarin.bsky.social assesses the political deadlock in Haiti and the motives behind the deployment of U.S. naval vessels off Port-au-Prince.
U.S. Gunboats Patrol Haiti’s Waters amid Wrangling over a New Government | International Crisis Group
Crisis Group expert Diego Da Rin assesses the political deadlock in Haiti and the motives behind the deployment of U.S. naval vessels off Port-au-Prince
crisisgroup.org
📽️ NEW VIDEO | Living in Fear: How Gang Violence Is Reshaping Ecuador Crisis Group’s expert @glaeldys.bsky.social explains why Ecuadorian criminal groups have grown so precipitously since 2021, and the impact of the government’s strategy to deploy the military to combat insecurity.
Living in Fear: How Gang Violence Is Reshaping Ecuador
YouTube video by International Crisis Group
youtube.com
NEW ANALYST’S NOTEBOOK | Mexico Seeks to Placate White House with Mass Criminal Transfer David Mora assesses the latest handover of convicts and criminal suspects amid threats of U.S. military action on Mexican soil. www.crisisgroup.org/alr/latin-am...
Mexico Seeks to Placate White House with Mass Criminal Transfer | International Crisis Group
Crisis Group expert David Mora assesses the latest handover of convicts and criminal suspects amid threats of U.S. military action on Mexican soil.
crisisgroup.org
Following days of increasingly strident demands from U.S. President Donald Trump for concrete results in Mexico’s anti-crime fight, President Claudia Sheinbaum on 20 January transferred 37 members of criminal groups to U.S. custody.
#Mexico transferred 37 prisoners to the US in a move to quell tensions, as Washington once again threatens strikes on drug trafficking groups Yet renditions to the US have tended to escalate violence in Mexico. My colleague @dmoravera.bsky.social explains 👇 www.crisisgroup.org/alr/latin-am...
Mexico Seeks to Placate White House with Mass Criminal Transfer | International Crisis Group
Crisis Group expert David Mora assesses the latest handover of convicts and criminal suspects amid threats of U.S. military action on Mexican soil.
crisisgroup.org
Sheinbaum just handed over 37 cartel suspects to U.S. custody. After the U.S. attack in Caracas, Mexico needs to deliver clear wins for Trump to further deter any U.S. unilateral military move. This is it. Some quick thoughts from Sinaloa, where I am doing fieldwork this week:
After US operations in Venezuela, the ELN has taken steps to ensure its interests are safe, regardless what happens in Caracas. Today I write in @nytopinion.nytimes.com, the ELN stands emboldened to threaten communities, Colombia, and US ambition in Venezuela 👇 www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/o...
Opinion | Something Bad Is Brewing on Venezuela’s Border
nytimes.com
