Four Years of Bukele's Gang Crackdown

Murder rates still way down; Bukele wildy popular; journalists have fled; poverty still terrible; Latin American leaders copy Bukele

In March 2022, El Salvador’s millennial president Nayib Bukele responded to a horrific spurt of gang violence by declaring a state of emergency and sent out troops to detain mara gangbangers (and suspects) in record numbers. Since then, the murder rate has plummeted to lower than Canada and the maras have been decimated. On the flip side, various journalists critical of Bukele have had to flee the country and poverty remains entrenched. As the crackdown hits its fourth year anniversary, and the state of emergency keeps getting renewed, CrashOut’s crime correspondent Niko Vorobyov hit San Salvador to take a closer look at Bukele’s realm. IG

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