El Salvador
runs the risk of seeing the reemergence of death squads as the
government pursues a hardline approach in its efforts to tackle
violent crime in the Central American country, national human rights
ombudsman David Morales told EFE.
2015 saw a
record level of homicides in the Central American country and the
nation has already registered 3,050 violent deaths in the first six
months of this year, the bloodiest period of the last decade.
Violent
crime is attributed mostly to the country's armed gangs, known as
maras, which were born in the United States but grew in size and
power inside El Salvador when many of its members were deported from
the U.S. back to Central America.
In light of
the violence, the government of President Salvador Sanchez Ceren, a
former leftist guerrilla, launched a militarized offensive against
the gangs. The government effort is showing signs of success, with
homicides down 51 percent in June 2016 compared to the year before.
However,
according to Morales a lack of internal discipline in the security
forces, a high tolerance for abuses and the war-like tone of
discourse about crime in El Salvador creates an environment that
favors the reemergence of death squads.
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