Central America
Brazilian deputies visit Cecot and highlight security results
December 18 |
Brazilian federal deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro highlighted yesterday on social networks the security results obtained by the government of President Nayib Bukele. The Brazilian legislator was part of the delegation of seven parliamentarians who visited the country to see the Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot) and all the security policies implemented in the last four years.
He also reiterated that President Bukele has a 90% approval rating from the population and that the security measures implemented with the Territorial Control Plan (PCT) and the exception regime have allowed El Salvador to accumulate more than 500 days without homicides during his administration, in which more than 75,000 criminals, mainly gang members, have also been arrested.
The implementation of security strategies, reforms to regulations so that criminals do not leave prisons, the alignment of powers and the dignification of the security forces are some of the aspects that Bolsonaro highlighted, so he reiterated that this has allowed President Bukele to achieve the transformation of El Salvador.
“What Nayib Bukele did is everything we proposed in terms of security in the Brazilian congress. The mentality is the same: arrested criminals do not commit crimes in society. With greater punishability, the economic theory of the criminal becomes more dangerous for him to commit a crime. Bukele managed to do this by electing a group of aligned parliamentarians and purging mainly the radical left in the elections,” Bolsonaro wrote in X.
The congressman stressed that, thanks to the exception regime, El Salvador went from being the most violent country in the world in 2015 to a benchmark in security and rivaling Switzerland for the number of homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.
“Today, if a police officer finds a notorious mafioso, he can arrest him for up to six months, the time the Public Prosecutor’s Office has to present the first evidence against the accused. The rule is that the accused responds to the arrested case (in Brazil it is the opposite). Between criminals and good people, today El Salvador cares about good citizens. That is why in Brazil there are criminals every day who have criminal records, who walk around the block and are arrested countless times; no longer in El Salvador,” he said.
President Bukele managed to decrease the criminal actions of gangs since he began his administration in 2019, and 2023 is about to close as the safest year in the history of El Salvador, an aspect that has paved the way for sectors such as the economy, tourism and education to develop and strengthen; to this effect the president considered important the dignification of law enforcement and has emphasized that none of the above would be possible without them.
Bolsonaro pointed out: “With more personnel, better salaries, with social security support, technology, support from the president and the population, as well as legal support, the police will fight the initial battle. Then comes social support: health, education, employment. Before, it made no sense to build schools in a gang-dominated area […]. Tourism also receives special attention as an economic engine.
Central America
Seven arrested in Guatemala over disappearance of six near Mexico border
Authorities in Guatemala arrested seven individuals allegedly linked to the disappearance of six Guatemalans, including a 16-year-old minor, according to a police statement.
The arrests took place in the border city of Malacatán, near the nearly 1,000-kilometer frontier shared with Mexico, a region increasingly affected by criminal activity.
Police reported that ten firearms were seized from the suspects, who are believed to be connected to the disappearance of the six victims. According to witness accounts, the missing individuals worked on a farm in Malacatán and were taken away in a vehicle whose license plate matches that of the one used by those detained.
The border area has seen escalating violence involving organized crime groups. In August 2024, following the unprecedented displacement of Mexican farmers into Guatemala to escape clashes between rival drug cartels, both countries agreed to carry out joint security operations along the shared border.
Despite this cooperation, tensions have arisen. On June 8, security forces from the Mexican state of Chiapas crossed into Guatemalan territory during an anti-crime operation that left four suspected criminals dead. The incident prompted a formal protest from Guatemala, after which Mexico issued an apology.
Central America
Gunfire and protests mark controversial rector reelection at Guatemala’s USAC
University of San Carlos of Guatemala (USAC), which serves around 200,000 students, plays a key role in the selection of top judicial authorities in Guatemala, including positions within the prosecutor’s office and other institutions often questioned over corruption.
The reelection of the university’s rector on Wednesday was marred by gunfire and clashes outside the hotel where the vote took place in Antigua Guatemala, west of the capital. Authorities reported no injuries following the unrest.
The electoral process, which granted a new term to Walter Mazariegos, was criticized by the Organization of American States, which described it as a “flawed process.”
USAC holds significant influence in Guatemala’s institutional framework, as it appoints two magistrates to the Constitutional Court—the country’s highest judicial body—and participates in the selection of members of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, both processes carried out earlier this year.
Videos shared by local media showed an individual firing a weapon into the air inside the hotel during the vote. Academic representatives and students gathered at the venue, while hundreds of protesters demonstrated outside, denouncing the exclusion of some delegates in what they claimed was an effort to favor Mazariegos.
The unrest escalated after alleged security personnel used fire extinguishers against police officers attempting to enter the hotel alongside a judge, who sought to verify reports that opposition voters were being held inside, according to local press reports.
“The election was illegitimate,” said Rodolfo Chang through a loudspeaker after being declared “legitimate rector” in a separate vote held outside the venue.
A day earlier, the Organization of American States had urged authorities to act to “prevent the completion of a flawed process.”
Central America
Honduras coffee exports jump nearly 30% in March despite price drop
Coffee exports from Honduras rose by 29.6% year-on-year in March, according to data released Monday by the Instituto Hondureño del Café.
During the third month of the 2025–2026 harvest season, Honduras exported 1,373,817 46-kilogram bags of coffee, up from 1,059,744 bags shipped in March of the previous cycle.
Despite the increase in volume, the average price per bag fell to $307.55, compared to $364.70 recorded in the prior harvest.
Between October and March, total export revenues reached $1.36 billion, representing a 32% increase from the $1.032 billion reported during the same period of the 2024–2025 season.
The United States remained the main destination for Honduran coffee, accounting for 36.5% of total shipments. It was followed by Germany with 16.1% and Belgium with 12.4%.
In regional terms, Europe absorbed 52% of exports, while North America accounted for 42%, according to the institute’s report.
Honduras remains the largest coffee producer in Central America and ranks among the top six producers worldwide.
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