The security situation in Central America has continued to deteriorate in recent years as Mexican drug trafficking organizations, transnational gangs, and other criminal groups have expanded their activities, contributing to escalating levels of crime and violence. Violence is particularly high in the "northern triangle" countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, with homicide rates among the highest in the world. Efforts to counter illicit trafficking in Colombia and Mexico created an environment that became increasingly inhospitable to drug trafficking organizations, forcing criminal groups to displace operations into Central America where they could exploit institutional weaknesses.