The gangs in El Salvavor seize the opportunity, now that the police must also focus on the corona outbreak. More than fifty murders were committed last weekend. On Sunday alone, there were 29. The highest number in at least a year.
Some of the murders are said to have been organized from prison, the government says.
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To stop the wave of violence, Prime Minister Nayib Bukele has introduced a stricter regime. “We are going to make sure that the gang members who committed these murders will regret their entire lives,” he said via Twitter.
“No more sunlight”
There is no longer any form of communication possible in several prisons: telephones are out of range, mail is forbidden and no visitors are allowed to visit.
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Concrete slabs have also been placed against the bar doors to prevent prisoners from passing on signals to each other. The prime minister is clear about it: “They won’t see any sunlight again.”
In addition, no distinction is made between the various gangs. They are now in the same cells, making it more difficult for them to organize. There is clearly no question of social distanding. The men are close together, wearing only white shorts. A few do wear mouth masks.
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Since Sunday, the police have also been allowed to shoot gang members to defend themselves or other Salvadorians.
Refugees
El Salvador has a long history of gang violence. Tens of thousands of residents have fled in recent years, especially to Mexico and the United States. More than 12,000 gang members are currently in prison.
The corona virus has caused relatively few victims in El Salvador. Some twenty thousand people have now been tested. The virus has been diagnosed in more than 323 people, eight people have died. More than six million people live in El Salvador.
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