ASSESSMENTS

El Salvador: Bleak Prospects in the Face of Criminal Violence

Feb 9, 2016 | 09:00 GMT

El Salvador: Bleak Prospects in the Face of Criminal Violence
Barrio 18 members in jail in Izalco, El Salvador, in May 2013.

(Jose CABEZAS/AFP/Getty Images)

Summary

Encompassing El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, Central America's "Northern Triangle" is one of the world's most violent regions. The area saw 17,000 murders in 2015 alone. The region's weak governments have proved unable to stem the growth of gang-related organized crime. Until El Salvador — and the region, for that matter — deals with its deeper economic and sociological problems and is able to provide a stable and non-corrupt government, the problem of powerful organized crime gangs and the violence that accompanies them will continue.

Encompassing El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, Central America's "Northern Triangle" is one of the world's most violent regions. The area saw 17,000 murders in 2015 alone. The region's weak governments have proved unable to stem the growth of gang-related organized crime. Until El Salvador -- and the region, for that matter -- deals with its deeper economic and sociological problems and is able to provide a stable and non-corrupt government, the problem of powerful organized crime gangs and the violence that accompanies them will continue. ...

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