Two decades after the end of its civil war, El Salvador has been trying to limit the influence of criminal gangs that control large portions of the country. Once afflicted by the world’s highest murder rate, the country now sees fewer homicides, but the gangs have tightened their grip upon turf where they run extortion rackets and exercise other forms of social control. Every year, the dangers of daily life push tens of thousands of Salvadorans to hazard the journey north to the U.S. border. Through its fieldwork and advocacy, Crisis Group presses for crime prevention, rehabilitation and socio-economic reform policies that can make El Salvador a safer place to live.
Following a spate of murders, the Salvadoran government ordered mass roundups of suspected criminal gang members, throwing more than 53,000 in jail. The clampdown is popular but unsustainable. Authorities should develop a path out of gang life that members can choose.
Authorities renewed state of exception, while concerns grew over judicial independence.
Authorities renewed state of exception. Legislative Assembly 8 Aug extended state of exception for another 30 days, which was first imposed in March 2022 amid high levels of gang violence, though in 29 Aug interview with Times magazine, President Bukele said govt hopes to lift measure “in the near future”. Though authorities have consistently pointed to measure’s role in reducing homicides, Attorney General’s 14 Aug report illustrated reported gender violence is growing, with 130 femicides and 8,984 cases of sexual violence documented between June 2023 and May 2024. Meanwhile, newspaper La Prensa Gráfica 15 Aug reported govt had disbanded Specialised Unit for Cases of Disappeared Persons; enquiries will now be handled by new Sub-directorate Against Organised Crime. Human Rights Institute of the Central American University same day called move “symbolic and objective dissolution” that could hinder search for justice for families of missing persons.
Appointment of new judges to Supreme Court risks impartiality of judiciary. President of Legislative Assembly Ernesto Castro 13 Aug announced that parliament, where President Bukele’s party has majority, will appoint seven new magistrates to 15-member Supreme Court of Justice, despite constitutional provision that allows renewal of only one third of judiciary every three years.
[El Salvador's president] Bukele has been able to effectively reduce [non-state] violence through authoritarian measures because he has full control of the main state ins...
In late March, El Salvador’s criminal gangs spearheaded a killing spree that left 87 people dead over a weekend. In response, President Nayib Bukele imposed a state of exception and launched a #WarOnGangs that has jailed over 53,000 alleged gang members in six months, elevating the country’s prison population rate to the world’s highest. Tiziano Breda, Crisis Group’s Analyst for Central America; Susan Cruz, Consultant; and Roberto Valencia, Journalist, discuss the consequences of this popular and controversial strategy.
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele set in motion a massive crackdown on suspected gang members when he declared a state of emergency in March. In this photo essay, Crisis Group experts explain how the government's response to gangs affects women.
This week on Hold your Fire! Richard Atwood and Naz Modirzadeh talk to Crisis Group experts Tiziano Breda and Ivan Briscoe about politics in El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras and why Central Americans are leaving for the United States.
San Salvador’s millennial President Nayib Bukele simultaneously represents an opportunity to end gangs’ chokehold on his country and risks the disintegration of a fragile democracy carved out of the 1980s civil war. He needs to be more transparent, but deserves more support.
As the coronavirus rages in Mexico and the northerly Central American countries, criminal outfits have adapted, often enlarging their turf. To fight organised crime more effectively, governments should combine policing with programs to aid the vulnerable and create attractive alternatives to illegal economic activity.
Online Event to discuss International Crisis Group's report on the drop in homicide rates in El Salvador and the security policies of President Nayib Bukele.
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