The number of homicides in Costa Rica has already surpassed the record of 654 recorded last year in this small Central American country (with a population of 5.2 million). At least 656 people have been killed since the beginning of the year, authorities announced Friday, estimating the final toll to be more than 900 dead.

For decades Costa Rica was considered the safest country in Central America. However, now crime has risen to very high levels.

The homicide rate is expected to increase this year to 16 per 100,000 inhabitants, from 12.6 in 2022. In Limon province, the rate is estimated to exceed 33 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Authorities attribute 2/3 of the homicides to gangs clashing over control of drug trafficking.

Public Order Minister Mario Zamora told the Reuters news agency that “there are no magic solutions” to fight crime and that a series of initiatives will be needed to strengthen security. Zamora, who took office last May, held the same portfolio under President Tsinjiya’s government (2010-2014) and has a reputation as a tough-on-crime politician.

President Rodrigo Chavez announced a crime-fighting package in April after Costa Rica’s main business association warned that a “state of national emergency” posed a threat to attracting foreign investment and tourists.

“There is an incessant struggle for power and resources,” the president of Costa Rica said in a recent press conference, stressing that the campaign to dismantle the gangs is a time-consuming process.