Blogs

army surrounds town in el salvador

Oct 2, 2022 | Community News

October 2, 2022

BARRIO – More than 2,000 soldiers and police surrounded and closed off a town in El Salvador Sunday in order to search for street gang members accused in a killing.

The large-scale encirclement of the town of Comasagua is the latest example of heavy-handed tactics by the government to root out street gangs. Everyone entering or leaving the town was questioned or searched.

President Nayib Bukele wrote in his Twitter account that members of the MS-13 gang were believed to still be inside Comasagua, about 20 miles (30 kms) southwest of the capital, San Salvador.

Bukele requested Congress grant him extraordinary powers after gangs were blamed for 62 killings on March 26, and that decree has been renewed every month since then. It suspends some Constitutional rights and gives police more powers to arrest and hold suspects.

So, far the emergency decree has resulted in the arrest of 53,485 people, of whom 47,893 were charged.

Rights activists say young men are frequently arrested just based on their age, on their appearance or whether they live in a gang-dominated slum.

Did you like this article?

Did you like this article?

0 Comments

Latest Posts

Becky G to premiere documentary ‘Rebecca’ at the 2025 Tribeca F …

Directed and produced by Jennifer Tiexiera—best known for HBO’s Unveiled: Surviving La Luz del Mundo—and Gabriela Cavanagh, this new documentary gives fans a front-row seat to Becky G’s deeply personal and creative ride as she brings her first música mexicana album,...

The once bustling jungle route along the Darién Gap has crashed

The rise and fall of migration through the Darién Gap has reshaped entire communities in Panama's remote jungle—and left many like Luis Olea scrambling to survive after their brief economic boom disappeared almost overnight. At the heart of the story is how U.S....

Events

Related articles