President Nayib Bukele has deployed 7,000 soldiers and 1,000 police officers to the central agricultural region of Cabanas in El Salvador as part of his crackdown on gang activity. This move comes after Bukele imposed a state of emergency in March 2022, resulting in the arrest of tens of thousands of alleged gang members.
However, human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch and Cristosal have raised concerns regarding the widespread abuses documented during the crackdown. These abuses include enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and torture. Despite these concerns, security forces have previously carried out house-to-house searches in key cities but have now cordoned off an entire department for the first time.
Bukele announced on Twitter that the security fence surrounding Cabanas aims to prevent gang members from leaving the area and cut off supply lines belonging to these groups. The blockade will continue until all gang members are extracted.
This deployment of security personnel marks the fifth mass raid since the crackdown began. In a previous raid in Cabanas, police dismantled several gang hideouts. Bukele imposed the state of emergency after a weekend in March 2022 that saw 87 civilians killed by gang members. Since then, approximately 72,000 alleged gang members have been arrested.
Last week, politicians passed a temporary measure allowing for collective trials of up to 900 people at once. Amnesty International Americas director, Erika Guevara Rosas, expressed concerns that these trials will violate the rights to a fair trial, adequate defense, and presumption of innocence.
Thousands of Security Personnel Deployed in El Salvador’s Crackdown on Gang Activity
