Colom should respond to 28,000 murdered

According to Sergio Morales, Guatemala's human rights ombudsmen, President Alvaro Colom should respond to the 28,000 murders committed during his four year in office. However, I'm not entirely sure as to what numbers he is referring to.

As you can see in the table above, the total number of murders in Guatemala increased sharply from 2000 to 2009. President Colom took office in January 2008. Murders then decreased in 2010 and, while this year isn't over yet, it looks like 2011 will again have fewer murders.

According to the National Civilian Police's reporting, 18,750 Guatemalans were killed during Colom's first three years in office. For Morales' numbers to be accurate, Guatemala would have to have suffered another 10,000 murders in 2011!!! "Fortunately," Guatemala is is only on pace for between 5,600-5,700 murders.

The total number of murders and the murder rates were terrible each year of Colom's term. However, they improved in 2010 and 2011. And 2011's total look to be the lowest that the country has recorded since 2005.