HomeNewsBriefHas Gang Violence in El Salvador Sparked a Death Squad Revival?
BRIEF

Has Gang Violence in El Salvador Sparked a Death Squad Revival?

EL SALVADOR / 23 MAY 2014 BY JAMES BARGENT EN

Authorities in El Salvador suspect that death squads with possible connections to the police are waging a campaign of "social cleansing" against gangs, suggesting security forces may be reviving a tried and tested response to violence in the country.

The Salvadoran attorney general for human rights, David Morales, said investigators had identified ten murders that bore the hallmarks of death squad killings, reported La Prensa Grafica.

In each case, the victims were gang members, and the perpetrators carried long arms and were dressed in dark clothing similar to police uniforms. Investigators say the hits showed high levels of planning and organization.

Morales clarified that they currently had no proof of police involvement, but were looking into possible connections.

Police Chief Rigoberto Pleites denied any police had taken part in death squad killings, blaming the murders on inter-gang rivalries.

InSight Crime Analysis

El Salvador has a long and troubled history of death squads. During the civil war era, from 1979 to 1992, the country developed a notorious reputation for extra-judicial killings, disappearances and paramilitary death squads, which killed an estimated 8,000 people.

Following the end of the civil war, a new generation of death squads emerged, the most famous of which, "La Sombra Negra" (the Black Shadow) targeted gangs, as well as politicians, human rights defenders and judicial officials.

SEE ALSO: Corruption in El Salvador: Politicians, Police and Transportistas

While La Sombra Negra was principally active in the 1990s, it has resurfaced periodically over the last decade. Within the last month alone, Salvadoran media have reported on Sombra Negra graffiti appearing, and the opening of a Sombra Negra anti-gang Facebook account.

Reports of other death squads have also emerged throughout the year, with residents describing murders of gang members by paramilitary groups composed of members of the security forces and war veterans -- reports that authorities have continued to reject.

El Salvador is far from the only country affected by this phenomenon. Throughout the region, violence linked to organized crime has sparked extra-judicial responses, from the vigilantes that have fought off the Knights Templar in Mexico, to police militias in Brazil, which are involved in social cleansing, extra-judicial killings and criminal activities.

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

EL SALVADOR / 31 MAR 2022

Between July 2021 and February 2022, the government of President Nayib Bukele released four top leaders of the MS13 in…

ARGENTINA / 8 FEB 2023

InSight Crime's 2022 Homicide Round-Up covers more countries than ever before, with a major expansion into nations of the Caribbean.

CRIMINAL MIGRATION / 6 OCT 2022

El Salvador will hold off on extraditing a top MS13 gang leader to the United States to face terrorism charges.

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

All Eyes on Ecuador

2 JUN 2023

Our coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to be a valuable resource for international and local news outlets. Internationally, Reuters cited our 2022 Homicide Round-Up,…

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

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.