SAN SALVADOR – On Monday, a significant deployment of over 2,000 soldiers alongside 500 police officers took place in a busy neighborhood located on the outskirts of the capital, El Salvador. This operation aimed to eliminate any remaining gang influences that, according to President Nayib Bukele, were attempting to establish a presence in the area.
“We have identified a group of gang members that are hiding within the neighborhood. We have created a security perimeter to ensure we locate and remove every last member of the gang,” President Bukele stated in a message posted on X social media platform.
Authorities have set up a military fence around the San Marcos neighborhood, reinforcing this blockade with checkpoints that serve to prevent any potential escape routes for gang members, as explained by Defense Minister René Francis Merino Monroy.
This recent blockade marks the third implementation of such measures in various sections of San Salvador, all geared towards tracking down and capturing gang members still active within the nation. President Bukele had previously instituted barriers in the northern regions of the country in March, aimed specifically at dismantling a faction belonging to the Barrio 18 gang.
This latest action aligns with President Bukele’s ongoing campaign against gangs—an initiative he announced in response to a spike in violent crime in March 2022. The government declared a “state of emergency,” allowing the suspension of constitutional rights, which facilitated the arrest of over 1% of the country’s population, often without substantial evidence.
The stringent measures employed by the administration have drawn significant backlash from human rights organizations, which have expressed concerns regarding the conditions in prisons and reported that many individuals apprehended were either innocent or only marginally linked to gang activities. Additionally, President Bukele’s pursuit of re-election, despite constitutional limitations barring consecutive terms, has raised further questions regarding democratic integrity within the country.
On the other hand, the ongoing fight against gangs has led to substantial setbacks for notorious groups like Barrio 18 and MS-13, who have long kept the population in fear through extortion, murder, and drug trafficking.
These tough policies have resulted in a notable decrease in homicide rates and garnered widespread support for President Bukele from the public.
Although he has proclaimed significant victories in this endeavor, the president has continued to prolong the “state of emergency” for over two years. He maintains that such measures are essential to eradicate the remnants of gang influence in El Salvador.
