El Salvador: 62 homicides in a single day, gangs singled out
Salvadoran army soldiers in operation in a neighborhood dominated by the Mara Salvatrucha, in San Salvador.
AFP/Archivos
Text by: RFI Follow
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Police have announced that they have recorded 62 homicides in El Salvador on Saturday March 26 alone, attributed to gangs.
The country's parliament is considering declaring a state of emergency in the face of rising violence.
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“
This Saturday March 26 ended with 62 homicides in the country
,” the National Civil Police announced on Twitter.
“
We will not back down in this war on gangs, we will not stop capturing and bringing to justice the criminals responsible for these acts
,” she added.
Este sábado 26 de marzo ha cerrado con 62 homicidios en el país.
No retrocederemos en esta #GuerraContraPandillas, no vamos a descansar hasta capture y llevar ante la justice a los criminales responsable de estos hechos.
pic.twitter.com/mPDgmn1ggg
— PNC El Salvador (@PNCSV) March 27, 2022
El Salvador's police and army on Saturday launched an operation against the Mara Salvatrucha, one of the country's most dangerous gangs.
Several leaders of the gang have been arrested and are accused of being "
responsible for the homicides recorded in recent hours
", police said.
Declaration of the state of emergency
In response to this wave of violence, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on Saturday urged parliament - dominated by his party - to declare a state of emergency.
According to the Salvadorian Constitution, a state of emergency can be established "
in case of war, invasion of territory, rebellion, sedition, catastrophe, epidemic or other general calamity, or serious disruption of public order
”.
“
Since yesterday we have seen a new rebound in homicides, something we have been working so hard against.
While fighting criminals on the streets, we are trying to decipher what is happening and who is behind it and funding it all
,” said Nayib Bukele, who called a crisis meeting of officials in a statement, in a statement. Security.
The head of state asked the prosecutor's office to treat
all cases of gang members with the same "
efficiency ", warning that he would keep an eye on "
judges who favor criminals
".
The Mara Salvatrucha, Barrio 18 and other gangs living primarily on drug trafficking and extortion have a total of about 70,000 members in El Salvador, of whom more than 17,000 are incarcerated, according to authorities.
El Salvador recorded 1,140 homicides in 2021 - or 18 per 100,000 inhabitants - the lowest figure since the end of the civil war in 1992.
(
With
AFP)
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