El Salvador is a small country.
In fact, it’s the smallest country in Central America.
But, that’s only geographically.
The country has 6.5 million inhabitants, a population that’s larger than Panama, Costa
Rica, Belize or Nicaragua.
That’s a large population, especially when you consider that emigration from the country
is common.
According to various sources, some 3 to 4 million Salvadorans are living abroad, with
many living in the US...
Shhh, don’t tell Trump!
Emigration is ever popular with thousands of Salvadorans each year packing up their
suitcases and take a chance on a better future somewhere else.
If this rate of emigration from El Salvador maintains, there might soon be more Salvadorans
living outside Salvador than living inside it!
So now, you are probably wondering why so many people are leaving El Salvador (or not,
I mean we had to title this video something!).
But let have a look at why so many people are leaving this country.
Yes, it is true that El Salvador is a very poor country, but economics is not the only
reason people are leaving.
Now, before we get into details on what’s causing this exodus, let me give you a quick
bit of information: El Salvador is a tropical country where you
can find stunning beaches like these, as well as magnificent nature reserves like this one,
and amazing cultural remains.
And in 2017 this country is celebrating.
2017 is the 25th anniversary of the Peace Agreements which put an end to the bitter
and cruel civil war which last more than 12 years and caused more than 70,000 deaths.
The conflict was between the national armed forces
and the so-called Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, a left-wing paramilitary
guerrilla group which counted on the support of the Cuban Government.
Interestingly, after the peace agreements, this guerrilla group became a political party
and today they have the Presidency of the Republic…
Quite the remarkable change.
Now, while this 25th anniversary should be reason for celebration, it is hard to celebrate
when you look at the current situation that El Salvador finds itself in.
THE VIOLENCE The 11th January 2017, was a normal Wednesday
when something extraordinary happened: absolutely NOTHING…
So, let me explain, that day ended with a death toll of zero in El Salvador.
And yes, that non-event was actually front-page news.
The reason for this being newsworthy is that El Salvador has become one of the most dangerous
countries in the world.
To give you an idea of how dire the situation is:
In 2015 6,670 murders were registered.
That is to say there were 105 murders for every 100,000 inhabitants.
This is the highest rate any country in the world which is not at war.
This number is truly terrifying.
For comparison, it would be as if there were 70,000 murders in the UK a year...
The real figure for the UK?
A touch more than 500.
That’s 140 TIMES MORE MURDER!
In 2016, the number was a bit lower, but still almost 4000 murders were registered.
It’s madness.
There have been wars where less people died!
Oh, and believe me, murder is far from the only serious crime going down in El Salvador:
kidnapping, extortion, thefts…
all worryingly common.
So, who's up for a holiday to El Salvador?!
No?
No-one?!
Considering all of this it’s probably not so surprising that according to recent surveys
conducted of the population that nearly half of them want to leave the country!
It’s clear to see that violence has consequences.
And this is not just fear of a crime being committed directly against you, but it also
affects the standard of living of the El Salvadorians.
According to the Salvadoran Central Bank, violence costs around $4 billion every year.
And, you know what?
That’s not really very suprising.
After all, who really wants to invest his money in a country where you can be killed
any time.
Don't believe me?
“El Salvador's foreign investment is the lowest in of all Central America”
Even regular people are at risk in El Salvador.
In fact the statistics show that it is more dangerous to be a bus driver than it is to
be a police officer in the country.
In the last 5 years, street gangs have killed almost 700 bus drivers.
VIOLENCE IN THE REGION It is known globally that Latin America has
a serious problem with violence and crime.
According to a report from the British consulting firm Verisk Maplecroft, Latin America is the
region where you have the highest risk of having a violent crime committed against you.
Indeed, 6 of the world's 10 most violent countries are in this region.
Incredibly, 1 in 3 homicides that occur every year globally take place in Latin America.
Even in this dangerous environment, the northern triangle of Central America takes the biscuit.
This area is formed of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, and it is, by far, the most
dangerous area in the continent.
In fact it is the most dangerous region of the world that is not currently a war zone.
In these countries, which are relatively small, 200,000 people have been murdered since 2004.
When you think about the reality of these numbers, it’s understandable why people
want to leave a country where you can’t walk the streets at night safely, or wear
a watch or necklace, or start a business without having to pay some money to a criminal organisation.
So the question must now be: Why is there quite so much violence?
DRUG-TRAFFICKING AND “MARAS” However, these three countries in Central
America have not always been such dangerous places.
They could even have been considered relatively peaceful until about 20 years ago - at least
at the individual level.
But this all started to change by the end of the 80s and 90s for two reasons: drug-trafficking
and Maras.
First: drug-trafficking is a serious problem in the region.
Every year, 22 million Americans use drugs and most of them come from South America.
The drug cartels are making an absolute fortune from this.
Obviously, this isn't something new, but this activity has evolved over the years, and has
continually found ways to operate despite pressure from law enforcement.
The persecution of the famous Colombian drug cartels led the the route drugs take to the
US shifting from: Colombia-Caribbean Islands-Florida, to a new route going through Central America,
and this is our first big problem.
Central America has become a sort of sanctuary for the new Mexican drug cartels.
From Central America they can organize their businesses, hide drugs and take refuge from
justice whenever needed.
So you’re probably starting to get the idea.
Experts have calculated that 80% of the drugs used in the US goes through Honduras.
And this has lead to an extraordinary amount of violence in the region.
Now to our second major problem.
The “Maras”.
For those of you who don't know them, the “Maras” are street gangs that engage in
all kinds of criminal activities like theft, murder, or extortion.
Their members are usually young people and their organization is relatively horizontal,
meaning they don’t have much of an organised hierarchy.
They organize in criminal cells known a “clicas”, which work quite independently from one another.
Pay attention here because it is estimated that in these three countries alone, the “maras”
have around 70,000 to 100,000 members.
The most famous of these organizations are “Salvatrucha” and “Barrio 18”, and
both usually fight against each other over the control of different territories.
THE FIGHT AGAINST VIOLENCE The situation is complex.
Many strategies have been used to try and solve the problem and they have all failed.
However, two initiatives have been put into practice lately in order to change the reality
of these countries and achieve safety for the citizens.
The first is known as “Fuerza de Tarea Trinacional” (the Trinational Task Force): This is a security
apparatus formed by police officers, intelligence experts, and special units of the three countries
we have mentioned.
This group aims to fight the street gangs, drug-trafficking and organized crime regardless
of borders.
Also, the group receives the support, training, and finance from the United States.
The idea is clear: as Juan Orlando Hernandez, the President of Honduras, likes to say:
“We are going to give them a taste of their own medicine".
The second initiative is linked to the first and it is known as the "Alliance for Prosperity"
and it was launched by the Obama Administration and it expects to improve the living conditions
and the competitiveness of these countries.
Its main goal is to create jobs and essential infrastructure in order to reverse the terrible
current situation.
To start, Washington has already committed to spend $750 million to support these initiatives.
But, is there hope?
Well, there sort of has to be.
Mara Salvatrucha has already communicated they are willing to negotiate their own dismantling.
Only time will tell if any of this is successful.
So that’s our view on the region, but what do you think?
Will these countries get rid of criminals?
Will the plan set by Washington succeed?
I´m looking forward to your answers and with the growth of this channel we can’t respond
to them all, but know that we do read them!
As always, hit like if you enjoyed the video and don’t forget to subscribe for new videos
every Monday and Thursday.
And as always, I’ll see you next time.