PERU · SECURITY
Key Facts
- The country Peru, an Andean copper exporter, is led by conservative President Keiko Fujimori since 28 July 2026.
- What happened On Thursday 29 October 2026 in San Salvador, Fujimori said Peru will start two new prisons.
- The plan One is for highly dangerous inmates, “something similar” to CECOT; the other is for lower-risk inmates.
- The price No cost, capacity, site or start date has been announced for either prison.
- Power Index Peru ranks 5th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 54.7 points (October 2026 edition).
Peru’s President Keiko Fujimori said on Thursday 29 October 2026, in San Salvador, that Peru will start two new prisons, one modelled on CECOT. CECOT is El Salvador’s mega-prison for suspected gang members, and she gave no cost, capacity or date.
For US readers it matters because Washington sent 252 Venezuelan deportees to CECOT in 2025 (see her visit and the signed agreements). Peru has also joined a US-led security pact, and a copy would bring a model that rights groups criticise to a second country.
What Happened
Fujimori spoke in a joint statement and a press conference at the Casa Presidencial, El Salvador’s presidential office, on Thursday evening. Earlier she toured CECOT in Tecoluca, where Justice and Public Security Minister Gustavo Villatoro and Defence Minister René Merino spoke to her delegation.
Fujimori said Peru has several prisons to finish and “we will start two more”. The first is for highly dangerous inmates, where Peru will “build something similar” to CECOT, and the second is for less dangerous prisoners, with workshops.
The second prison would use Cero Ocio, Spanish for Zero Idleness, an El Salvador programme that keeps inmates busy with work. Fujimori said the key lesson of the tour was to stop prisons from serving as operations centres for organised crime.
The two presidents signed a joint declaration and accords on health, security, justice and tourism, and set up a bilateral partnership. Fujimori also invited Bukele to visit Peru and said her country wants a free trade deal with El Salvador.
Bukele said El Salvador would share its experience and prison system so that Peru can adapt them to its own laws. Fujimori agreed that successful experiences must be studied and adapted, because the two countries are different.
Why It Matters
On 5 September 2026 Fujimori‘s government declared a 60-day emergency in five high-security prisons, and she says the armed forces now control their perimeters. At CECOT she also said Peru needs to finish six prisons already under construction.
Fujimori wants to stop gangs from running crime out of their cells. Her tools so far are military control of the perimeters and measures to cut inmates’ illicit communications.
CECOT, short for Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (Terrorism Confinement Centre), opened on 31 January 2023 with room for 40,000 inmates. It is the centrepiece of a security policy that legal experts and rights groups say has jailed many people without due process.
Peru already has a funded plan: in June 2025 its finance ministry announced a US$800 million loan from CAF, the Latin American development bank. It backs a US$1 billion programme of five prisons for about 28,000 inmates, including Huacho, north of Lima.
What It Means for You
If you invest in or run a business in Peru, the new prisons signal a harder line on organised crime, including extortion gangs. Construction firms may eventually bid for the work, but no tender has been announced.
If you follow US policy, watch the link to Washington, since the United States has used CECOT for deportees and backs the alliance Peru joined. No US role in the new prisons has been announced.
Visitors to Peru will see no change, because the plan covers prisons and not tourist areas. Peruvians and families abroad should expect more military involvement in jails.
What Is Not Known
Neither government has given a cost, a capacity, a site or a start date for the two new prisons. Fujimori’s words were “we will start two more”, with no deadline attached.
It is unclear whether the new prisons belong to the five-prison programme financed by the CAF loan. Nor is it clear what “something similar” means in size.
Fujimori said successful ideas must be studied and adapted, because the two countries are different. Which parts of the CECOT model Peru will copy is not stated, and the full text of the accords has not been published.
More: Peru news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is CECOT?
CECOT is El Salvador’s mega-prison for suspected gang members in Tecoluca, opened on 31 January 2023. It was built for 40,000 inmates and has also held deportees sent from the United States.
How Much Will the Two Peruvian Prisons Cost?
No cost has been announced. Fujimori gave no price, size, site or start date when she announced the plan on 29 October 2026.
What Did Peru and El Salvador Sign?
The presidents signed a joint declaration and accords on health, security, justice and tourism, plus a bilateral partnership. Peru also said it wants a free trade deal with El Salvador.
Sources: Presidency of Peru, press note on Fujimori and Bukele meeting at the Casa Presidencial (29 October 2026), 29 October 2026; Presidency of Peru, press note on Fujimori’s visit to CECOT (29 October 2026), 29 October 2026; Ministry of Economy and Finance of Peru, CAF financing of US$800 million for new prisons (29 June 2025), 29 June 2025.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief