This week, we released a new investigation on El Salvador’s state of emergency, under which 77,000 people, or about 1% of the country’s population, have been imprisoned. After conducting over 100 interviews with gang members, Salvadoran police, community leaders, and numerous other sources, we found that the country’s gangs have largely been dismantled. Various stakeholders, however, expressed concerns about the sustainability of President Nayib Bukele’s punitive approach, and human rights groups and civil society organizations have highlighted cases of illegal imprisonment, torture, and even extrajudicial executions during the state of emergency.
Meanwhile, in Ecuador, we explore the central role that minors have played in the country’s shocking security downturn. The number of youth murdered in the country surged 195% from 2020 to 2022, with 2023 totals set to break records again. Ecuador’s criminal groups, fueled by the cocaine trade, have turned to child recruitment to drive their expansion.
Finally, we marked 30 years since the death of Pablo Escobar, highlighting how cocaine production has expanded since the fall of the Medellín Cartel, with the drug reaching more markets than ever.
