Central America
US Congressman Gaetz praises El Salvador’s transformation under President Bukele
Matthew Louis Gaetz, a Republican Congressman from the United States, highlighted in an interview how El Salvador, under the presidency of Nayib Bukele, has transitioned from a “failed state” to positioning itself as the Singapore of the Western Hemisphere.
The American official recalled his recent visit to the country for President Bukele’s inauguration ceremony, marking the beginning of his second term on June 1st.
“I just returned from El Salvador. I was at Bukele’s inauguration. He is one of the most impressive people I’ve ever met. I saw a country that was basically a failed state and now is positioned to be the Singapore of the Western Hemisphere,” Gaetz said.
He added that if El Salvador, with a population of 6 million, has managed to reach this position “by simply imprisoning 70,000 people, then I’m not convinced that Canada is so dominated by globalists that it can’t overcome them.”
President Bukele’s security strategy, implementing the Territorial Control Plan, reinforced by the state of emergency, is the most successful in the country’s history and an example to the world. Last year, the homicide rate closed at 2.4 per 100,000 inhabitants; there was also a decline in crimes such as extortion, robbery, theft, and assaults nationwide. By the end of the first quarter of 2024 (January-March), it was 1.5.
In response to the interviewer’s comments about the need for countries to choose leaders “who believe in their citizens and want to support them,” Congressman Gaetz noted, “That’s right, although it must be more enduring than that. It has to last longer than just one person, but I think in every great movement, there are people who become the vanguard.”
“I saw people in the congress [Legislative Assembly], in the government, in the diplomatic corps, for whom Bukelism is emerging as a concept […] and I think that’s what attracts the younger generation,” the congressman reflected.
He mentioned that President Bukele showed him a photo depicting how students in a public school no longer aspire to be gang members or thieves but rather police officers, chefs, and entrepreneurs. “Compare that with our situation,” he said, expressing his admiration for discovering in a Salvadoran karaoke that Father’s Day is celebrated throughout June.
Central America
Arévalo accuses Porras and judge of undermining democracy in Guatemala
Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo denounced a new attempt at a “coup” orchestrated by the Attorney General’s Office. He also requested an extraordinary session at the Organization of American States (OAS) to address the country’s ongoing political crisis.
The president has been at odds with Attorney General Consuelo Porras, who has been sanctioned by the United States and the European Union for being “corrupt” and “anti-democratic.” Since 2023, Arévalo has accused Porras of launching investigations against his party, Semilla, and the 2023 elections as part of a scheme to prevent his inauguration in January 2024.
From the presidential office, Arévalo has said he continues to “resist” the “coup plotters,” but tensions escalated last Friday when Judge Fredy Orellana, at the request of the Attorney General’s Office, ordered the electoral court to annul the Semilla party’s promoter group. Arévalo interpreted this as an attempt to revoke the positions won by the party.
“Orellana, a hitman who distorts the law in service of Consuelo Porras, is attempting to force […] the unconstitutional removal of a mayor, 23 elected deputies […], the vice president, and the president of the country,” Arévalo said in a televised address on Sunday.
“We call on the international community not to turn a blind eye to the coup being attempted in Guatemala,” he added, speaking alongside his cabinet and congressional members at the National Palace in Guatemala City.
Arévalo requested that the Organization of American States hold an extraordinary session to present “the serious threats” to the Guatemalan Constitution and democracy perpetrated by Porras and Orellana.
Yesterday, Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Ramiro Martínez reaffirmed the president’s statements, emphasizing the need “to go and expose the situation” Guatemala has been facing since last week due to the actions of the Attorney General’s Office.
Central America
New dismembered bodies found in San Juan river days after mass killing in Palencia
On the morning of Monday, October 27, Guatemala’s Volunteer Firefighters confirmed the discovery of two bodies and two human heads inside plastic bags in the San Juan River, located in the Zacualpía village at kilometer 21 of the Atlantic Highway, in the jurisdiction of Palencia.
The remains were found by personnel from Companies 85, 50, and Central, who responded after receiving a report about suspicious bags floating in the water. The gruesome discovery was made just a few meters from the site where eight tortured bodies were found under the San Juan Bridge on Friday, October 24.
Local authorities do not rule out a connection between both incidents and suspect they may be tied to the same criminal organization. Investigators from the Public Ministry and the National Civil Police arrived at the scene to gather evidence and transfer the remains to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (Inacif).
According to data from the National Economic Research Center (CIEN), Guatemala recorded 2,154 homicides between January and August 2025, an increase compared to the 1,816 reported during the same period in 2024.
Central America
Four guatemalan soldiers arrested for stealing weapons from Northern Air Command
Four soldiers were arrested in connection with the theft of weapons from the Northern Air Command of the Ministry of Defense in Petén, Guatemala, following operations conducted by the Public Ministry (Prosecutor’s Office).
“During the operations, criminal scenes were processed, analyzed, and documented photographically, possible escape routes were identified, surveillance cameras were located, and potential witnesses were interviewed,” the Prosecutor’s Office explained in a social media post.
The detained soldiers were identified as Ludwin Jónathan Cardona Baltazar, charged with illicit association, dereliction of duty, and aggravated theft; and Josué Israel Pérez Jerónimo, Alain Omar Marroquín Soch, and Carlos Ernesto Ibarra Corrales, charged with dereliction of duty, according to Guatemala’s Prensa Libre.
The military personnel reportedly stole 55 rifles, 14,420 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition, 92 magazines of 35 rounds each, 19 magazines of 20 rounds each, and three grenade launchers, “which were allegedly moved from the arms warehouse to the outside for illicit sale.”
The Ministry of Defense stated that it will keep its internal control mechanisms active to prevent similar incidents.
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