Ecuador faces escalating violence as criminal groups infiltrate the state, leading President Daniel Noboa to crack down on gangs. Experts highlight the need for a political coalition to combat corruption and restore security. Meanwhile, El Salvador's President Bukele focuses on jumpstarting the economy after defeating gangs. Concerns arise over collusion between Ecuadorian authorities and organized crime. In neighboring countries, Honduras and El Salvador have also grappled with gang-related issues, with Bukele detaining a significant portion of the population under a state of emergency. The crackdown on gangs in El Salvador and Ecuador has sparked debates on civil liberties and human rights, with some supporting the tough measures while others raise concerns about potential abuses.
My @GlobeIdeas column: "As Bukele was wrecking El Salvador’s fledgling democracy, he was also freeing millions of Salvadorans from lives of unrelenting fear. He offers his people a deal: I will guarantee your security if you give me absolute power." https://t.co/Ofvoqp0SRZ
"Criminal groups have captured parts of the Ecuadorian state. Political leaders must reverse this process before it is too late," writes @WillGFreeman. https://t.co/R0XAZ9FBJU
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has waged a “war on gangs,” imprisoning 1.6% of the country’s population. With a possible second term around the corner, those numbers could skyrocket. But this "war" comes at the cost of civil liberties https://t.co/Wf81ZbwNB0 https://t.co/rNh9WDWV4n
Nayib Bukele’s no-tolerance crackdown on El Salvador’s gangsters produced a predictable result. | @wil_da_beast630 https://t.co/9MZPbYE3oL
#Ecuador has followed El Salvador in declaring war on the drug cartels, using the army to kill and arrest criminals and take apart their support systems. The "human rights" and civil liberties groups are in a tizzy, but the population could not be happier. https://t.co/ILEm87rHPb
🚨In 2022, Honduras declared a state of emergency over gang crimes. According to @APNews, as of today, El Salvador’s President Bukele has detained more than 1% of the population under his State of Exception. ✊We must not sacrifice #humanrights over anti-gang efforts.
Nayib Bukele is not the hero conservatives think he is. @rojasrjuand "The Salvadoran leader’s popularity on the right has done wonders to mask close ties with the region’s worst leftists" https://t.co/d0Of7bbwu0
"Increasingly, Ecuadorians cannot count on the state to protect them. Members of the police, armed forces, and judiciary have been exposed for colluding with organized crime," writes @WillGFreeman. https://t.co/Z80JdWQOOZ
"With El Salvador’s gangs defeated, Bukele’s second administration will hinge on a different challenge: jumpstarting the economy," writes @WillGFreeman. https://t.co/KfPlUnuWzk
"Criminal groups have captured parts of the Ecuadorian state. A broad political coalition must fight corruption and root them out," writes @WillGFreeman. https://t.co/3GndEV5BDi
Experts trace the root causes of Ecuador’s spiralling violence, as President Daniel Noboa leads a crackdown on gangs. https://t.co/91W0kxLZhR