Central America
El Salvador extends state of emergency to curb gang violence
AFP
El Salvador’s lawmakers on Sunday extended a state of emergency for another month at the request of President Nayib Bukele, after it was imposed in late March to stamp out a wave of deadly gang violence.
The measures were initially enacted March 27 after a weekend in which 87 people were killed in gang-related violence, expanding police powers so that they could arrest members without a warrant.
Since then, more than 16,000 people have been arrested, and Bukele on Sunday requested lawmakers to extend the state of emergency for another month.
After summoning members to a session, Ernesto Castro, president of the Legislative Assembly — controlled by Bukele’s ruling party — declared that they had approved the extension, by 67 out of 84 votes.
The new decree states that “security conditions persist which urgently demand the extension… due to the continuation of the circumstances which motivated it,” he said.
Once Bukele signs the decree, the extension begins on Tuesday.
Besides arrests without a warrant, the emergency measures also restrict freedom of assembly, while telephone calls and emails can be intercepted without a court order.
Also on Sunday, they approved another law to “simplify and facilitate” the acquisition of tax-free goods and render services by the government to address the emergency.
The authorities have said they are planning to build new prisons to hold the thousands of gang members they detain.
– Crackdown –
Bukele hailed the extension, calling it “the definition of democracy.”
“More than 1,000 terrorists captured on this day alone. More than 17,000 in just 30 days,” he tweeted. “We continue… #WarAgainstGangs.”
The wave of detentions is unprecedented in a country that has suffered decades of violent crime driven by powerful gangs such as Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18.
The country’s gangs have about 70,000 members, of whom 32,000 are now incarcerated as a result of the crackdown, according to authorities.
Lawmakers had also approved in early April a reform to punish gang members with up to 45 years in prison — a sharp increase to the original maximum penalty of nine years.
Other legislation also approved this month criminalizes disseminating gang-related messages in the media, with penalties of up to 15 years in jail. Journalists have warned that this reform could target certain forms of reporting.
El Salvadoran NGOs asked the judiciary this week to declare that legislation unconstitutional.
Such broad and swift enactment of powers granted to the military and police has drawn alarm from local and international human rights organizations.
The 40-year-old president, elected in 2019, enjoys broad support in El Salvador over his promises to fight organized crime and improve security in the violence-wracked country.
Central America
Mulino Vows Tougher Crackdown as Homicides Increase in Panama
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino said Thursday that his administration will not negotiate with gangs in an attempt to curb the wave of violence that has recently shaken the country and fueled growing public concern over insecurity.
“I am not going to sit down, nor is the security minister going to sit down with the leader of any gang to negotiate,” Mulino stated while rejecting any possibility of dialogue with criminal organizations.
According to statistics from the Public Ministry of Panama, the country recorded 62 homicides in April, nearly double the 34 reported during the same month last year. In March, authorities registered 53 killings, representing a 20% increase compared to the same period in 2025.
Panamanian authorities say the country’s two main gangs, among more than 180 criminal organizations identified nationwide, are behind the recent escalation in violence.
The National Police of Panama stated that disputes over territorial control, recruitment of new members, and drug theft between rival gangs are driving the increase in murders and armed attacks.
Mulino also expressed concern about innocent civilians becoming victims of the violence.
“They are in restaurants, they are in schools, and they become victims of these shootings,” the president said.
The Panamanian leader further called for tougher judicial measures against gang leaders and drug trafficking operators, criticizing court decisions that grant house arrest to suspects linked to contract killings and organized crime.
“We are going to act as we must to defend the overwhelming majority of Panamanian citizens, who are not criminals and are not drug traffickers,” Mulino stated.
Authorities believe that rising cocaine production in South America and Panama’s role as a transit route for drugs destined for the United States and Europe continue to strengthen gangs involved in narcotics trafficking.
Central America
Arévalo Announces Overhaul of Guatemala’s Prison System Amid Security Crisis
Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo said Thursday that his administration is working on a major transformation of the country’s prison system in an effort to end what he described as a “feast of corruption” inside Guatemala’s jails.
Speaking during an official ceremony in which Guatemala received 20 new inmate transport vehicles with support from the United States and the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), Arévalo stressed that prisons must no longer remain under the control of criminal organizations.
“Prisons should not be places where crime is perfected, but places where rehabilitation becomes possible,” the president said during his speech.
Arévalo explained that the addition of the new vehicles will strengthen security, surveillance, and operational control within the penitentiary system, which is considered one of the most overcrowded in the region.
Guatemala’s prisons currently hold more than 25,000 inmates in facilities originally designed for approximately 7,000 people, representing overcrowding levels exceeding 300%. Authorities acknowledge that these conditions have enabled gangs and criminal groups to coordinate extortion schemes, murders, and other crimes from inside prison facilities.
The crisis reached one of its most critical moments in January, when government attempts to regain control of several prisons triggered riots in three detention centers across the country.
Following the operations, members of the Barrio 18 gang allegedly carried out armed attacks in different areas of the country, leaving 11 officers from Guatemala’s National Civil Police dead.
Central America
Panama confirms drug contamination of El Salvador coffee shipment occurred on its territory
A container originating from El Salvador and carrying coffee for export was contaminated with more than 1,152 packages of drugs while in transit through Panama, according to official information confirmed by the Panamanian government this Tuesday.
The case, which had previously generated political controversy in April 2025 after opposition sectors attempted to link the Salvadoran government to drug trafficking, has now been clarified through renewed investigations.
Authorities confirmed that the container departed from the port of Acajutla after being properly inspected, with no illicit substances detected at the time of export.
According to statements previously provided by El Salvador’s Minister of Defense, René Merino Monroy, the shipment traveled first to the port of Balboa in Panama, where it remained stored for several days before being transferred to another vessel bound for Manzanillo in Colón.
It was at that terminal that Panamanian authorities discovered the drugs and identified tampering with the container seals, indicating that the illicit alteration occurred during its transit in Panama rather than in Salvadoran territory.
The findings align with earlier explanations provided by Salvadoran officials and confirm that the contamination of the cargo took place outside of El Salvador’s jurisdiction.
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