Bukele Tightens Grip with Military Siege to Combat El Salvador’s Gangs

El Salvador’s government launched a major security operation on Saturday, creating a security perimeter around five northern neighborhoods.

These areas have high criminal gang activity. The operation involved 3,000 officers—2,000 soldiers and 1,000 police armed with rifles.

They targeted the town of Apopa, just 13 kilometers from the capital.

President Nayib Bukele announced the operation on social media. He shared a video of troops marching into Tikal 1, 2, and 3, Valle del Sol, and La Chintuc neighborhoods.

Some officers arrived on foot, while others used vehicles. Vehicle checkpoints now guard the entrances of these areas.

The operation’s initial results included the arrest of four members of the 18 Revolucionarios gang.

This gang, along with Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), is a major source of violence in the country.

Bukele launched this crackdown as part of his ongoing war against gangs. He promised this in February 2022.

Bukele Tightens Grip with Military Siege to Combat El Salvador’s Gangs

El Salvador has been under a state of emergency since March 27, 2022. This followed a weekend of extreme violence with 87 homicides.

Since then, security forces have conducted extensive operations, arresting over 79,200 suspects.

This significantly reduced the crime rate, helping Bukele fulfill a key campaign promise. He celebrated his re-election on February 4 by highlighting these achievements.

“El Salvador is officially the safest country in Latin America. Thank God,” Bukele declared in January.

He noted that 2023 was “the safest year in history” for the nation. The country saw only 154 homicides, a rate of 2.4 per 100,000 inhabitants, with a daily average of 0.4.

Additionally, there were 518 days without any murders, compared to just two days in the previous three five-year periods.

Despite these successes, human rights organizations have raised concerns. They reported inhumane treatment, unjustified arrests, and deaths in police custody.

Bukele continues to support the security forces’ actions. He recently claimed that the Armed Forces are nearing a significant victory, without specifying details.

“Our Armed Forces are 200 years old and are about to achieve their greatest victory,” he stated.