Following a spike in killings, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele dispatched troops to the capital city of San Salvador and other districts on Thursday. On Tuesday and Wednesday, approximately 30 people were killed in the Latin American country.
In a Facebook post, Bukele added, “We have deployed our national police and armed forces to contain the increase in homicides registered over the last 48 hours.”
“There are dark forces seeking to return us to the past,” Bukele said on Twitter. “But this administration is not going to let it.”
The Salvadoran president stated that forces have so far been able to keep the violence at bay, but that operations would continue until the nation regains “relative calm.”
El Salvador, which has one of the worst crime rates in the world, has experienced a significant drop in homicides since 2015, when the country saw 15 to 20 murders per day.
Prior to this week, the country had an average of 3.8 killings per day. Last year, the Salvadoran digital weekly El Faro alleged that Bukele’s government had negotiated deals with gang members in return for better jail conditions, something Bukele has disputed.
Concerns about the rise of authoritarianism
Critics may see the military action as the latest example of the country’s growing authoritarianism since Bukele took office in 2019. The decision to send troops, according to Congresswoman Anabel Belloso of the left-wing FMLN party, is “pure public relations.”
Bukele submitted a new bill earlier this week that would prohibit foreign funding of NGOs engaged in political activities in the nation. Critics believe the decision is an attempt to silence opposition groups, especially because Bukele has previously claimed civic organisations were organising anti-government protests.
Bukele’s decision to bring troops inside parliament last year is another measure that has raised concerns. At the time, Bukele urged parliament to authorise a loan to adequately equip the military and police.
In another controversial decision in May, Bukele’s party ousted five Supreme Court judges and the country’s chief prosecutor.
Bukele, who is barely 40 years old, is seen as a populist on the right. Following his decision to declare the Bitcoin cryptocurrency legal tender in El Salvador, he has gained a lot of worldwide interest.
