All About Barrio 18

BARRIO 18 / 3 MAY 2012

In a joint communique, El Salvador's two largest gangs have promised to extend their cease-fire to school zones, as well as bring an end to forced recruitment, a positive development…

BARRIO 18 / 1 MAY 2012

El Salvador saw an average of five murders a day in April, according to police statistics, down 58 percent from the same month last year, as a ceasefire between rival…

BARRIO 18 / 23 APR 2012

After a truce between warring gangs cut murders by half in El Salvador last month, the government is moving to consolidate its security gains through work opportunities for former gang members --…

BARRIO 18 / 13 APR 2012

El Salvador's Security Minister David Munguia said that the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18 gangs carried out half of the murders registered in the last month, despite a truce…

BARRIO 18 / 12 APR 2012

After reportedly negotiating a gang ceasefire in El Salvador, the Church is now attempting to broker a reduction in criminal extortion, and the government says they are willing to facilitate…

BARRIO 18 / 29 MAR 2012

Despite President Mauricio Funes' denial that his government struck a deal with gang leaders to lower homicide rates in return for better prison conditions, it is now clear that someone…

BARRIO 18 / 23 MAR 2012

Representatives of the rival MS-13 and Barrio-18 gangs in El Salvador have confirmed the existence of a truce between them, negotiated with the help of the Church.

BARRIO 18 / 21 MAR 2012

The government says a wave of violence in northern Honduras that left at least 11 people dead within 48 hours is due to gang warfare, but the reality may be…

BARRIO 18 / 21 MAR 2012

An El Salvadoran bishop has claimed that a recent drop in homicides is due to the Church negotiating a truce between the country's two main gangs, the MS-13 and…

BARRIO 18 / 19 MAR 2012

El Salvador's government has denied reports that it made a deal to give imprisoned gang bosses better living conditions in exchange for a reduction in violence.

BARRIO 18 / 15 MAR 2012

A new report by El Faro suggests that El Salvador's government may have struck a deal with its two largest street gangs to reduce violence, indicating that the country may…

BARRIO 18 / 15 MAR 2012

The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) will help train a task force in El Salvador dedicated to investigating extortion-related crimes, with nearly 3,000 extortion cases reported in 2011.

About InSight Crime

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Escaping Barrio 18

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