Central America

Troops deployed in San Salvador amid massive gang crackdown

Photo:

| By AFP |

More than 2,000 soldiers and police surrounded two districts in El Salvador’s capital on Saturday as part of President Nayib Bukele’s war on gangs, the second such operation this month in the Central American country.

“As of this morning, the Tutunichapa district in San Salvador is totally surrounded,” Bukele posted on Twitter.

“More than 1,000 soldiers and 130 police officers will extract the criminals who still remain,” he added.

Bukele later tweeted that 1,000 more soldiers and 100 police officers had been dispatched to La Granjita, another neighborhood in the capital.

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“After encircling Tutunichapa, a famous drug distribution center, we knew that many drug traffickers would take refuge in the neighborhood of La Granjita, another famous distribution center”, Bukele tweeted.

Images released Saturday by the office of the president showed heavily armed soldiers entering Tutunichapa, a populous district where small houses mostly constructed of concrete blocks stand alongside one of the many polluted streams that run through San Salvador.

Justice Minister Gustavo Villatoro posted photos of members of an anti-narcotics police unit with drug-sniffing dogs.

“We are going to extract every criminal from our communities,” Villatoro said in a Twitter post.

‘Bastion on crime’

Defense Minister Rene Merino said 23 people had been arrested in Tutunichapa, without specifying whether they were accused of being gang members or drug traffickers.

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“All terrorists, drug traffickers and gang members will be removed” from the area, Bukele said in another tweet, adding that until recently it was a “bastion of crime.”

“Honest citizens have nothing to fear and can continue to live their lives normally,” he wrote.

Local resident Edwin Diaz, 51, cheered the law enforcement action, saying the area has long been considered a dangerous place due to gang activity and drug sales.

“All our lives we have suffered the stigma that here there is drug dealing, gang members, bad things, and today with this security they have set up, there is nothing to fear,” Diaz told AFP by phone on Saturday.

Echoing Bukele’s remark, Diaz added: “He who owes nothing, fears nothing.”

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Almost 60,000 arrests

Earlier this month, Bukele, who has declared a state of emergency to quash gang violence, sent 8,500 soldiers and 1,500 police officers to surround Soyapango, the country’s third-largest city, with a population of nearly a quarter million.

The president had announced last month a plan to use troops to surround cities while house-by-house searches are conducted for gang members. Soyapango was first on the list.

The siege there has seen armored military vehicles, some with artillery, carrying out constant patrols while heavily armed police search houses and people as they leave their neighborhoods, as well as random sweeps of public transport.

As of Saturday, some 650 suspected gang members had been arrested in Soyapango, Merino said.

“We continue working in the rest of the territory looking for terrorist criminals,” the defense minister added.

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Almost 60,000 suspected gang members have been arrested since the launch of the state of emergency in March, which has prompted humanitarian groups to question what they see as heavy-handed tactics.

Despite that criticism, El Salvador’s Congress on Thursday once again extended the state of emergency for another month.

Over 75 percent of Salvadorans approve of the emergency declaration, and nine out of 10 Salvadorans say that crime “has decreased” with Bukele’s policies, according to a Central American University (UCA) poll published in October.

Related Topics:El Salvador Pandillas San Salvador

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Central America

Arévalo calls for ‘rescue’ of Guatemala’s Prosecutor’s Office amid leadership change

Bernardo Arévalo said on Monday that the next attorney general must prioritize “rescuing” the Ministerio Público de Guatemala, amid the ongoing process to replace current chief Consuelo Porras.

Speaking at a press conference, the president stressed that the country needs leadership capable of restoring the institution after years of criticism and controversy.

“What the country needs is someone who can rescue the Prosecutor’s Office from the abuses it has suffered as a result of being co-opted by criminal networks, and who can restore its ability to operate effectively and independently,” he stated.

His remarks come as a commission prepares to select six candidates for the position of attorney general later this week.

Arévalo will then be responsible for appointing the new head of the Public Prosecutor’s Office for the 2026–2030 term, in a decision seen as crucial for the country’s institutional future.

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Central America

Panama and Costa Rica strengthen border alliance to combat organized crime

Panama and Costa Rica strengthened a strategic alliance on Saturday aimed at enhancing border security and jointly tackling transnational organized crime, following a high-level bilateral meeting held in Paso Canoas, in Panama’s Chiriquí province, according to Panama’s Ministry of Public Security.

“The effort strengthens digital border control and enables a more effective response to organized crime,” said Frank Abrego, Panama’s Minister of Public Security. He added that “operational integration between both countries increases anticipation and response capacity to threats.”

During the meeting, Abrego and his Costa Rican counterpart, Mario Zamora Cordero, reaffirmed their commitment to deepen bilateral cooperation, particularly in territorial protection and citizen security.

Paso Canoas is a key customs hub in the region, handling goods arriving in Panama through the Panama Canal and the Colón Free Zone, which are then distributed across Central America, as well as regional exports.

Zamora described the meeting as “effective and productive,” emphasizing the importance of sustained police cooperation to confront criminal structures operating in the region.

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As part of the agenda, authorities inaugurated a new operations center for the National Border Service in the Progreso sector. The facility is designed to strengthen monitoring and control through surveillance technologies such as cameras and drones, as well as real-time information sharing between both countries.

Authorities also announced the delivery of eight vehicles to reinforce patrol operations, along with intensified joint operations at key border points.

Officials stated that these measures will increase operational presence, improve response capabilities, and enhance security for border communities.

Both ministers agreed that coordination between Panama and Costa Rica has helped maintain a “calm, stable, and developing” border, and announced further meetings, including one in San José, to advance new security agreements.

In this context, in February 2024, both countries inaugurated the Paso Canoas Integrated Control Center on the Costa Rican side, a 14,000-square-meter facility designed to streamline procedures and manage the daily flow of around 200 cargo trucks and 800 people crossing from Panama.

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The meeting brought together senior officials from both nations’ security forces, who advanced joint strategies to combat threats such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, and smuggling, through coordinated action and intelligence sharing.

This bilateral effort underscores both countries’ commitment to ensuring citizen security and sends a clear message of joint action against organized crime.

Sports

Ancelotti leaves door open for Neymar’s return to Brazil’s 2026 World Cup squad

Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, current manager of the Brazil national football team, has opened the door to the possibility of Neymar being included in the final squad for the 2026 World Cup, according to an interview published Saturday by L’Equipe.

“At the moment, he is being evaluated by the Brazilian Football Confederation and by me. He still has two months to prove he has the conditions to play in the next World Cup,” Ancelotti said.

Neymar, 34, Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals in 128 appearances, was left out of the most recent national team call-up for friendlies against France and Croatia. He is also still working to regain full fitness with Santos FC.

Since returning to his club, Neymar has played only a handful of matches in the Brasileirão and the Copa Sudamericana, including an upcoming match against San Lorenzo on April 28. These games could be key for him to convince Ancelotti ahead of the final squad announcement on May 19.

“Neymar has made and continues to make history in Brazilian football. He is a great talent, and it is normal for people to believe he can help us win the next World Cup,” the Italian coach added.

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When asked whether the former FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain player must be at full fitness to earn a call-up, Ancelotti admitted he does not have a definitive answer but believes Neymar “is capable of returning to 100%.”