Salvadorans love Nayib Bukele like no other president before.

The only forty-year-old Bukele, who is relaxed and communicates with the population via social networks, has swept the corrupt elite off the political floor like a storm.

The second reason for its high popularity is the low homicide rate.

El Salvador, which has always been one of the most violent countries in the world, has reduced its homicide rate to an all-time low in a short period of time.

Tjerk Brühwiller

Correspondent for Latin America based in São Paulo.

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In 2015, El Salvador, with its 6.5 million inhabitants and 6600 murders, was still considered the deadliest country in the world outside of war zones.

Five years later and a year and a half after Bukele took office, there were still around 1,300 murders, the lowest number in more than two decades.

For a long time there was speculation about how Bukele’s government could manage this historic U-turn.

Investigative newspaper presents evidence

Meanwhile, the picture is a little clearer. A now-suspended investigation by the former El Salvador Attorney General has revealed a wealth of evidence showing that the government was secretly negotiating with three of the country's most dangerous and brutal gangs. The evidence and further research into the case have been published in the past few days by the online investigative newspaper "El Faro". The evidence includes transcripts of tapped phone calls, voice messages, surveillance photos and other material.

The investigation suggests that the gang leaders agreed to reduce the murder rate.

In return, they are said to have demanded better conditions of detention, opportunities to communicate in prisons, job opportunities for gang members and the termination of investigations.

Photos of video surveillance of prisons and statements from staff confirm that government officials were involved in negotiations and met with men in balaclavas believed to be gang leaders.

"You take care not to make the slightest mistake"

"El Faro" published the transcript of a telephone conversation between members of gang MS-13, in which the need to keep the murders to a minimum is discussed. A member of the gang said the authorities were concerned that mistakes could happen. "They are careful not to make the slightest mistake so that it doesn't fail and the public doesn't know that there is a deal."

The investigation was led by a special unit created by former Attorney General Raúl Melara to investigate the negotiations between the two previous governments and the criminal gangs.

The unit ransacked the country's prison authorities office in September 2020 and confiscated hard drives and other materials.

Shortly before, "El Faro" had reported evidence of negotiations between the Bukele government and the gangs.

The prosecutors had also tapped telephone lines, followed the movements of suspects and questioned witnesses, reported "El Faro".

The journalists were largely able to confirm the investigations through their own interviews.

According to witnesses, evidence was also destroyed by prison officials.

Last May, the special unit was disbanded and the investigation was discontinued.

After Bukele's “New Ideas” party won a two-thirds majority in the general election, the state attorney general and the country’s chief judges were removed from office on the day the new parliament was established - a move that met with great international criticism, including from Washington .

A few days later, the head of the special unit resigned.

President Bukele has not yet commented directly on the El Faro report.

On Twitter, he described the revelations as a "refresher".

The government has already answered all questions five times.