El Salvador sends 10,000 police, army to seal off town

[Judi Lynn]

ASSOCIATED PRESS • December 3, 2022



Soldiers arrive in Soyapango, El Salvador, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. The government of El Salvador sent 10,000 soldiers and police to seal off Soyapango, on the outskirts of the nation’s capital Saturday to search for gang members. (Salvador Melendez/AP)

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — The government of El Salvador sent 10,000 soldiers and police to seal off a town on the outskirts of the nation's capital Saturday to search for gang members. The operation was one of the largest mobilizations yet in President Nayib Bukele's nine-month-old crackdown on street gangs that long extorted money from businesses and ruled many neighborhoods of the capital, San Salvador.

The troops blocked roads going in and out of the township of Soyapango, checking people's documents. Special teams went into the town looking for gang suspects.

"Starting now, the township of Soyapango is completely surrounded," Bukele wrote in his Twitter account. He posted videos showing ranks of rifle-toting soldiers.

More than 58,000 people have been jailed since a state of emergency was declared following a wave of homicides in late March. Rights groups have criticized the mass roundups, saying they often sweep up young men based on their appearance or where they live.

More:
https://www.stripes.com/theaters/americas/2022-12-03/el-salvador-police-army-8287590.html

[Judi Lynn]

1. El Salvador: The people caught up in the gang crackdown

1 hour ago

By Will Grant
BBC Central America correspondent

When El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele attended a graduation ceremony for military officers last week, he brought more than just warm words for their future careers in law enforcement.

He also delivered the latest escalation in his ruthless crackdown on the country's street gangs which has seen a staggering 57,000 people arrested on suspicion of gang affiliation since March.

Yet Mr Bukele's self-proclaimed "war on gangs" has also given rise to some disturbing cases of wrongful arrest.

"Thanks to God and thanks to you, Salvadoreans have true peace", President Bukele told thousands of soldiers and police officers in a slickly produced night-time event to launch the fifth phase of his controversial "Territorial Control Plan".

More:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-63793652