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In several Latin American countries, social violence has risen to warlike levels. Nevertheless, little attention has been paid to the extent of social violence and the new (informal) forms of governance generated by the so-called violent nonstate actors (VNSAs). Where a state's forces fail to provide for the physical protection and social security of its citizens, some areas are governed by a mix of formal (vertical) and informal (horizontal) forms of governance, mixing state and nonstate actors. In these socially bounded spaces, nonstate actors produce and distribute public goods similarly as the state does. In this article, we explore how hybrid governance has appeared in the South American region, considering the operation of two regional VNSAs, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) in Brazil and the Bandas Criminales (BACRIM) in Colombia. We show that such VNSAs are significant agents for security governance, as they challenge preconceived notions of state authority (legitimacy). Em varias nacoes latino-americanas, a violencia social atingiu niveis semelhantes aos da guerra. No entanto, pouca atencao tem sido dada a extensao da violencia social e as novas formas (informais) de governanca geradas pelos chamados atores nao-estatais violentos (VNSAs). Onde os estados falham em prover a protecao fisica e a seguranca social de seus cidadaos algumas areas sao governadas por uma mistura de formas de governanca formal (vertical) e informal (horizontal), misturando atores estatais e nao estatais. Nesses espacos socialmente delimitados, atores nao-estatais produzem e distribuem bens publicos de forma semelhante ao Estado. Neste artigo, propomos explorar como a governanca hibrida apareceu na regiao da America do Sul, considerando as operacoes de dois VNSAs regionais, o Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) no Brasil e as Bandas Criminais (BACRIM) na Colombia. Mostramos que tais VNSAs sao agentes significativos para compreender a governanca securitaria na regiao, visto que desafiam nocoes preconcebidas sobre a autoridade estatal (legitimidade)., Introduction Traditional studies in international security and peace studies have paid almost no attention to governance dynamics involving the extent of social violence and the new forms of governance generated [...]