From: jameskerlindsay
Following a sudden spike in killings, El Salvador declared a state of emergency in March 2022 [00:00:00]. This declaration was accompanied by the arrest of 17,000 people and the introduction of a raft of tough new measures aimed at tackling the country’s long-standing problem of gang violence [00:00:04]. While these actions are presented as necessary to combat crime, they have also raised serious questions about the direction the country is taking under its charismatic young president, Nayib Bukele [00:00:20].
El Salvador’s History of Violence and Gangs
El Salvador has historically been plagued by high levels of violence. In 2015, it recorded the second-highest violent death rate globally at 126 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, surpassed only by Syria [00:00:59].
The roots of the country’s severe gang violence problem can be traced back to its civil war (1979-1992) [00:03:52]. During this conflict, many Salvadorians fled to the United States, particularly Los Angeles, where they became involved in growing gang culture, leading to the formation of major gangs like MS-13 and Barrio 18 [00:04:46]. After the war concluded in January 1992 [00:04:16], the United States began deporting convicted gang members back to El Salvador, who then brought their gang ties with them, leading to a rapid escalation of the problem [00:05:16]. By the early 2000s, the country’s gang problem was spiraling out of control [00:05:29].
Attempts to Control Violence
Various approaches have been attempted to curb the violence:
- Zero-Tolerance Policies: Successive governments pursued “zero-tolerance” approaches, but these proved largely ineffective [00:05:33].
- Gang Truce (2012): In March 2012, rival gangs reached a truce, tacitly endorsed by the government, which led to a significant 40 percent drop in the murder rate within a year [00:05:55], [00:06:24], [00:06:31]. However, this truce became unpopular due to fears it empowered gangs [00:06:42] and eventually collapsed in 2013-2014 [00:06:58], [00:07:09], leading to a sharp deterioration and a surging murder rate by 2015 [00:07:21].
Nayib Bukele’s Crackdown and Its Outcomes
The situation began to improve with the election of Nayib Bukele as president in May 2019 [00:08:07], [00:08:12]. Bukele promised to address gang violence and introduced tough new measures, including targeted crackdowns in gang heartlands and increased police and military spending [00:08:16]. Social programs were also introduced in poverty-stricken areas [00:08:30]. Despite Bukele’s denials, reports emerged of government representatives meeting with jailed gang leaders and offering special privileges in exchange for reduced violence [00:08:37].
Regardless of the specifics, Bukele’s efforts appeared to work, with the number of murders dropping significantly by the end of 2020 [00:08:51], [00:08:56]. On January 27, 2021, the country marked its first 48 hours without a gun death in decades [00:09:08]. The year 2021 ended with 1,140 deaths, an improvement despite a three-day outbreak of violence in November [00:09:19].
Recent Surge in Violence and Controversial Measures
Despite the improving situation, a sudden surge of violence occurred on Saturday, March 26, 2022, with 62 people killed in a single day—the highest daily death toll since the civil war ended 30 years prior [00:09:30], [00:09:36]. In response, the government quickly imposed and extended a state of emergency [00:09:55]. Police began rounding up thousands of suspected gang members, even publicly displaying images of detainees [00:10:04].
A raft of new measures has been introduced, many of which have been condemned by leading international human rights organizations, including the UN Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights [00:10:08], [00:10:13]. These measures include:
- Reducing the age of criminal responsibility [00:01:32].
- Introducing longer prison sentences [00:01:35].
- Criminalizing reporting on gang activities that could “generate panic and anxiety amongst the general population,” with offenses carrying up to 15 years in jail [00:10:22]. This legislation has drawn heavy criticism from both human rights organizations and the US State Department, which emphasized the importance of press freedom [00:10:37].
Growing Concerns Over Authoritarianism
These controversial steps come amidst growing concerns about the wider direction El Salvador is taking [00:10:55]. While President Bukele enjoys high approval ratings, fears of his increasing authoritarianism have mounted [00:11:03]. In September 2021, the United States sanctioned five supreme court judges who were appointed to rule in favor of a second presidential term for Bukele, in contravention of a constitutional time limit [00:11:13].
El Salvador is now at a crucial juncture, navigating the complex challenge of combating deeply entrenched gang violence while facing the risk that the president may be using the crisis to cement his control over the country [00:11:27], [00:11:43].