El Salvador takes 'extraordinary measures' to tackle gang violence.

AutorWitte-Lebhar, Benjamin

The government of El Salvador is hailing a recent decline in murder numbers as evidence that its gloves-off crackdown on criminal street gangs, known locally as "maras" or "pandillas," is working. But others say the maras themselves are responsible for the homicide dip, and worry that without better safeguards in place, authorities could end up exacerbating the tiny country's massive security problem.

An explosion of violence resulted in more than 6,600 killings last year, pushing El Salvador's per capita murder rate to nearly 104 per 100,000 inhabitants, presumably the highest of any country in the world not technically involved in an armed conflict (NotiCen, Jan. 21, 2016). The terrible tally--a post-civil war (1980-1992) milestone for the troubled nation--marked a 70% increase over the 2014 total of 3,912 homicides, itself a staggering number for a country of just 6.4 million people. By way of comparison, New York City, with a larger population than El Salvador, had fewer than 350 murders in 2015.

The killings have continued apace so far this year, with 2,460 murders as of May 9, the Policia Nacional Civil (PNC) reported. If the current rate (19 per day, on average) holds up, El Salvador could finish 2016 with an even longer list of victims than it had last year. The one encouraging thing to be gleaned from the horrific homicide figures is that as of late March, when gangs announced a unilateral cease-fire, the rhythm of violence has significantly slowed. For April, the PNC reported 352 murders, far fewer than the 740, 630, and 603 killings registered in January, February, and March respectively. Early May numbers--approximately 160 killings in the first two weeks--show a similar pattern.

The government of President Salvador Sanchez Ceren, ignoring the supposed cease-fire, sees the slow-down in killings as a sign that its "mano dura" (iron-fisted) approach to the maras is beginning to pay dividends. "We cannot tolerate these groups dictating the terms of security for families," Sanchez Ceren's vice-president, Oscar Ortiz, said during a May 12 press conference. The official went on to say that authorities would "stop and reverse" the dismal security situation within a year. "We have to find them, pursue them, and crush them," Ortiz said. "That is our mission in these next 12 months."

More soldiers, tougher rules

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