HomeNewsBriefEl Salvador Gang Leaders Confirm Truce
BRIEF

El Salvador Gang Leaders Confirm Truce

BARRIO 18 / 28 JAN 2015 BY ARRON DAUGHERTY EN

El Salvador gang leaders confirmed that they have agreed amongst themselves to reduce violence, setting the stage for a new political war over the dynamics of El Salvador's homicide rate. 

In a joint statement, the leaders of El Salvador's largest gangs -- including the MS13 and Barrio 18 -- said they had forged a truce on January 17. As a result, they said, El Salvador's murder rate dropped from an average of 14 homicides a day to less than five a day over the following week, and included the first homicide-free day of the year (something that was also confirmed by police).

Gang leaders said they voluntarily committed to this agreement, despite what they called "unfavorable conditions," in order to show the government that "it cannot continue ignoring that 'Maras' and street gangs can be an important part of the solution." They also said the gangs would begin a "serious peace process" if the state and civil society were ready to engage as well.

InSight Crime Analysis

While gang leaders have claimed credit for a very short-term drop in violence, the government has stuck to its guns, reiterating that it "does not and will not negotiate" with gangs. Both the gangs and authorities have their own interests at stake, and in the coming weeks, both will likely present two very different interpretations of what is happening in El Salvador. This complex scenario of competing interests will make it extremely difficult to determine the gangs' actual impact on violence -- and who should bear more responsibility for committing that violence.

SEE ALSO: El Salvador's Gang Truce: Positives and Negatives

For its part, the government will likely downplay or attribute any short-term drops in homicides to their own initiatives, and may also hold up new violence as evidence of a broken truce. In one recent example, police attributed the murder of five road workers to gang rivalries. Meanwhile, in their latest statement, gang leaders blamed death squads for a large portion of El Salvador's violence and claimed that these groups operate with support from public and private entities. 

SEE ALSO: El Salvador News and Profiles

As InSight Crime has pointed out previously, the announcement of this new truce looks particularly timely given El Salvador's upcoming elections in March. The annoucement of this truce appears intended to boost the gangs' political clout, and thus aid them in securing concessions -- such as halting the transfer of gang leaders to maximum security prisons. Gangs may also be feeling cornered by a government whose head of police recently told the country's cops that they should use their weapons on criminals "with complete confidence." 

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

BARRIO 18 / 30 JAN 2023

While thousands of gang members have been arrested in El Salvador, some may have moved their activities to Mexico.

BARRIO 18 / 14 SEP 2022

In the mountains of Michoacán, Mexico, Carlos was trained to become a ruthless soldier for the Cárteles Unidos.

BARRIO 18 / 26 DEC 2022

El Salvador's ruthless gang crackdown has led to mass incarceration and human rights abuses. But will it be replicated elsewhere?…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report continues to be a reference in the region

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Paraguay Election Coverage Draws Attention 

5 MAY 2023

InSight Crime looked at the various anti-organized crime policies proposed by the candidates in Paraguay’s presidential election, which was won on April 30 by Santiago Peña. Our pre-election coverage was cited…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Cited in OAS, CARICOM Reports

28 APR 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s work was cited nine times in a new report by the Organization of American States (OAS) titled “The Impact of Organized Crime on Women,…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Staff Cited as Experts by International Media

21 APR 2023

This week, InSight Crime deputy editor, Juan Diego Posada, was interviewed by the Associated Press about connections between the ex-FARC mafia and Brazilian criminal groups, and…