On the Subject of the Gruesome Gang Violence in El Salvador

El Salvador, a small country located in Central America, has been struggling with severe gang violence since 1992 when a brutal 12-year civil war ended. According to the nation’s defense ministry, an estimated 500,000 El Salvadorians are involved with gangs, which is about 8% of the total population. Most of the violence occurs because of a three-way war between the two largest gangs, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18 (La 18), and the government’s security forces.

MS-13

Founded by El Salvadorian immigrants in Los Angeles in the 1980s, MS-13 is a notorious international gang that spread from California to other parts of the United States, Canada, and Central America. MS-13 is involved in several illegal activities including drug trade, human trafficking, murder, rape and extortion. Recently, the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, allegedly contradicted previous statements he made about zero tolerance towards gangs by negotiating with MS-13. President Bukele has denied these accusatory reports.

La 18

Similarly to MS-13, Barrio 18 was also founded in Los Angeles in the 1980s but is not nearly as notorious. La 18 is also spread across Central America, the United States, and Canada but many question its separate cells’ (cliques within the gang) connection and allegiance to the largest one in El Salvador. According to Insight Crime, the gang is most dangerous in countries with weaker governments in Central America such as El Salvador and Honduras. In El Salvador, “gangs systematically extort public transport systems and entire communities” and are able to do so because of the sheer size of the gangs as well as the government’s fragility.

Government Security Forces

Since the start of his campaign, president Bukele has shown no mercy towards gangs of any kind. Despite a 1992 peace accord stipulating against it, president Bukele continues to employ the military within public security operations. Several allegations and reports regarding police brutality and misconduct have been made, with little effect, against the government’s security forces. According to the Lethal Force Monitor and the United Nations Human Rights Watch, “Salvadoran police and soldiers killed 1,626 people from 2010 through 2017.”

El Salvador continues to be one of the most dangerous countries in the world with one of the highest homicide rates. As students of AISG, being global citizens is part of what we should strive to be. Therefore, it is important to be aware of such severe human rights conditions that persist in modern day society. I personally encourage you to click on some of the links within the article to learn a little more about the drastic effects gangs have on the country of El Salvador.