Central America

El Salvador’s PNC adds 85 days without murders and April is on track to be the safest in Salvadoran history

April 29 |

April is one day away from becoming the safest month in the history of El Salvador, since up to Thursday 27th the accumulated number of days without homicides was 22, the same amount with which January closed this year and for which it was catalogued by authorities as the safest.

If this trend continues, and due to the fact that the police records do not include the data from the last three days of this month (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), the conditions would be in place for April to continue adding more days of zero murders.

The data indicate that the cumulative total so far this year between January 1 and April 27 is 85 days without violent deaths. The figures indicate that March closed with 20 days without murders and February with 21.

So far in the administration of President Nayib Bukele, the total number of days without murders is 355, according to police information. Public security authorities have maintained that the reduction in homicides is due to the fight against gangs that has characterized this administration.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

The climate of security currently enjoyed by the population has meant that other Latin American countries such as Peru, Honduras, Guatemala and Ecuador are interested in replicating the security model implemented by President Bukele to combat gangs and restore peace of mind to the population.

In 2015 during the FMLN government, under the administration of fugitive Salvador Sánchez Cerén, the homicide rate in El Salvador was 106 per 100,000 inhabitants, these conditions placed the country on the shameful list of the most dangerous nations in the world.

Central America

Guatemala’s president rules out negotiations with inmates after prison riots

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo stressed that his administration will not negotiate with inmates nor restore concessions granted under previous governments, insisting that the Executive’s priority is to maintain control of the prison system and restore order in detention centers.

Arévalo said one of the key measures implemented by authorities was the blocking of mobile phone signals inside prisons, an action he described as decisive in regaining control of the Renovación 1 penitentiary.

The riots reported at Renovación 1, Fraijanes 2, and the Preventive Detention Center for Men in Zone 18 of Guatemala City were aimed at pressuring the state to recover privileges that had been recently revoked, Arévalo said during a press conference held Wednesday at the National Palace of Culture.

The president explained that inmates were seeking to reinstate special detention conditions, including air conditioning, king-size beds, and internet access, benefits that he said were eliminated by the current administration.

“They attempted to extort the state in order to return to that system of privileges, but they failed,” Arévalo emphasized.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

Central America

Mazatenango Carnival cancelled amid State of Siege in Guatemala

The municipal government of Mazatenango, in the department of Suchitepéquez, Guatemala, has cancelled the city’s traditional Carnival as a security measure aimed at protecting visitors and residents.

The decision was announced on Tuesday through the municipality’s official Facebook page and comes as a preventive action amid the state of siege declared by the national government last Sunday.

The Mazatenango Carnival, one of the country’s most emblematic festivities, boasts more than 140 years of traditionand typically draws large crowds from across Guatemala and neighboring regions. Its program usually includes parades of floats, the traditional “Rabbit Race,” street dancing and live music, concerts, and cultural events in the Central Plaza.

According to the official statement, the cancellation responds to the current security context and the restrictions associated with the state of siege, prioritizing public safety.

Municipal authorities clarified that the scheduled concert by La Arrolladora Banda El Limón will still take place separately and will be the sole responsibility of the private production company, independent of the cancelled carnival activities.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

Central America

Guatemala raises police death toll to nine after gang violence escalates

Guatemalan authorities raised the death toll of police officers killed in a wave of gang violence to nine on Monday, after one officer wounded in the attacks died from his injuries. The violence prompted the government to declare a state of siege.

Criminal gangs launched a series of coordinated attacks against police forces across several parts of the country in retaliation for the government’s recapture of three prisons, where gang leaders had been holding dozens of prison guards hostage. Authorities said the hostages were used to pressure officials into transferring gang leaders to facilities with looser security measures.

Eight police officers were killed on Sunday. Another officer, identified as Frayan Medrano, died Monday in a public hospital after being shot while riding a motorcycle with a colleague, who remains in critical condition, according to police and the Ministry of the Interior.