Two districts known to shelter drug traffickers were completed on the orders of the president of the country who declared war on the gangs.
mo12345lemonde with AFP
The war waged by the government against the gangs continues in Salvador. More than 2,000 soldiers completed two San Salvador districts on Saturday 24 December. This is the second operation of this type in one month in this country of Central America plagued by violence.
Since Saturday morning, the Tutunichapa district “is completely completed,” wrote the president of Salvador, Nayib Bukele, on Twitter. ” More than 1,000 soldiers and 130 police will extract the criminals “from this” famous drug trafficking “, he adds. In the evening, 1,000 other soldiers and 100 police officers were sent to complete another district of the capital, the granjita.
“After surrounding Tutunichapa, a famous drug distribution center, we knew that many drug traffickers would take refuge in the Granjita district, another famous distribution center,” said the head of state On the same social network.
In Tutunichapa, 23 people were arrested, according to the Minister of Defense, René Merino. “All terrorists, drug traffickers and gang members will be expelled from this district, which was up to a few months ago a bastion of crime. Honest citizens have nothing to fear and can continue to lead their life normally “Said Nayib Bukele in another tweet.
Emergency State
On December 3, the army had already mobilized nearly 10,000 soldiers in the city of Soyapango, bordering on San Salvador, where around 500 alleged gang members were arrested, according to the latest government assessment.
The Minister of Defense said that 690 alleged gang members had been arrested on Saturday in this city of Soyapango.
On March 27, following a request from the President of Salvador, the Congress had declared a state of emergency to combat a resurgence of the violence caused by gangs. On Thursday, Congress extended this exceptional regime for the ninth time, criticized by human rights organizations.
This war against gangs has led to the arrest of more than 60,000 people since March for alleged links with criminal organizations, according to official figures.