El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele said Sunday that the country’s authorities have arrested more than 140 gang members in less than two days, following the announcement of a 10,000-strong military and police operation that has surrounded the municipality of Soyapango.
«The municipality of Soyapango, the most populated in our country, has been totally surrounded since early yesterday morning. In less than 48 hours, more than 140 gang members have been arrested inside the siege. Territorial control is now totally in the hands of the state,» he said in a message posted on his Twitter profile.
The office of the Presidency added that some of those convicted are doing community service. «Prisoners in the trust phase are removing graffiti alluding to criminal structures,» it explained.
«We are not only taking them off the streets, we are also taking away their sense of belonging in our communities,» the presidential office has added.
Bukele announced on Saturday that the aforementioned municipality, annexed to the country’s capital, was «completely closed» by the deployment of thousands of security personnel in order to put an end to the gang threat in the territory.
«8,500 soldiers and 1,500 agents have surrounded the city, while the extraction teams of the Police and the Army are in charge of removing one by one all the gang members that are still there,» said the president.
The president decreed a state of emergency at the end of March — when the country registered as many as 62 homicides in just one day — which has been extended in recent months and under which more than 50,000 alleged gang members have been arrested.
«Ordinary citizens have nothing to fear and can continue going about their lives normally. This is an operation against criminals, not against honest citizens,» added the Salvadoran leader.
«Phase 5 of the Territorial Control Plan has begun,» said Bukele in relation to this security plan that, according to what he said on Thursday, managed to close November with a balance of 13 homicides, making it the «safest» month in the history of the Central American country.
