In the fight against gang crime in El Salvador, some 10,000 soldiers and police surrounded the town of Soyapango near the capital San Salvador on Saturday. Soyapango was “completely surrounded,” the president of the Central American country, Nayib Bukele, announced on Twitter (see below).
About 8,500 soldiers armed with assault rifles and 1,000 police officers searched for gang members in the city. Military vehicles and police cars drove through the streets and drones were also used in the operation.
Bukele declared a state of emergency at the end of March after 87 people were killed in the Central American country within three days. In November, he announced that entire cities would be cordoned off so soldiers and police officers could go from house to house looking for gang members. Soyapango was now the first city to host such a large-scale operation.
Large cities have long been considered unsafe
Soyapango is one of the largest cities in El Salvador and has long been considered unsafe due to gang violence. A few months ago, authorities began removing the graffiti the gangs use to mark their areas. According to Mayor Nercy Montano, the measures taken so far have already achieved “a huge improvement” in the security situation.
State of emergency extended several times
More than 58,000 suspected gang members have been arrested in El Salvador since the state of emergency was declared. Parliament has extended the state of emergency several times, most recently until mid-December. Human rights organizations criticize the state of emergency, which allows detention without judgment, among other things, as a drastic curtailment of fundamental rights.
Source: Krone
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