A wave of gang violence that has killed 62 people in a single day, the likes of which have not been seen in years, prompted the President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, to request and have Parliament declare a state of emergency in the country. This was announced by the Legislative Assembly itself.
What the state of emergency provides
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As reported by Ansa, the decree was passed by a large majority, restricting gatherings and allowing arrests without a warrant for the next 30 days. And in the last few hours, the police and army have arrested several leaders of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS13), a wellknown criminal gang. Together with Barrio18, Il Post explains, they have about 70,000 branches across El Salvador. They are involved in murder, extortion, drug and arms trafficking, among other things.
Police: “We will not back down”
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“Saturday March 26 ended with 62 murders in the country,” Salvadoran police said on Twitter, quoted by Ansa. “We will not back down in this war on gangs. The criminals responsible will be caught and brought to justice, he concluded.