As Latin America Looks To El Salvador's Success Against Gangs, Critics Point To Deals With the Devil

As Latin America Looks to El Salvador’s Success Against Gangs, Critics Point to Deals With the Devil EL SALVADOR Tourists now throng El Tunco beach on the Pacific Ocean in El Salvador, a change from only a few years ago, when gangsters robbed or extorted visitors seeking sun and waves. The shift happened after hardline President Nayib Bukele declared war on his country’s gangs and locked up tens of thousands of suspected members. As a result, 4.1 million tourists visited the Central American country last year, 60 percent more than in 2019 – before Bukele assumed office – lured by the country’s beaches, volcanoes, lush forests and archeological sites. Recently, as part of this “tourism boom,” some visitors came to see blockbuster singer Shakira, who held five concerts in the capital, San Salvador, as part of Bukele’s efforts to rebrand the once-violent country. “El Salvador is changing and Central America too,” the president wrote on X, where he regularly posts videos of surfers riding giant waves in the Pacific. However, the drop in crime could be celebrated without hesitation if Bukele hadn’t flung aside human rights in his state of emergency and crackdown to achieve it, say observers. In the mid-2010s, homicide rates in El Salvador topped 100 per 100,000 people, a rate commensurate with war zones. Today, they have decreased by 98 percent. In between, Bukele has locked up 91,000 people, reported the Associated Press. About 8,000 innocent individuals have since been released. Many of those people were imprisoned without due process, including without access to a lawyer. Hundreds have died before their day in court. Journalists who have attempted to document the situation have fled the country, too, according to author and journalist Ioan Grillo, who tracks narco-crime in the region. A group of prisoners’ relatives said Shakira’s “Women No Longer Cry” tour was being used by Bukele to “cover up injustice and his reprehensible acts.” “In El Salvador, women, mothers and relatives of innocent victims who suffer imprisonment, torture, and death, forced evictions, persecution, and rigged trials also weep,” they wrote in an open letter to the singer. Still, the results of Bukele’s crackdown have made the president popular at home. “The people want it,” said Salvadoran Vice President Félix Ulloa in a recent interview. “They feel protected.” The crackdown has also led other countries in the region struggling to contain criminal gangs, such as Costa Rica and Honduras, to consider implementing such measures. Recently, Bukele visited Costa Rica after being invited by President Rodrigo Chaves for the groundbreaking of a new prison inspired by the 40,000-capacity Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in El Salvador, which Bukele built to house gang members. “(It’s) a radical change,” López, a 44-year-old engineer who came from Limón, a Caribbean port in Costa Rica battered by drug traffickers, told Costa Rica’s Tico Times. “We’d like to take this step.” But while the Salvadoran president appears to have triumphed over gangs, World Politics Review posited that his security forces deserve less credit for the drop in crime than he might want his constituents to believe. Rather, Bukele had reached a détente with the most powerful gang leaders, granting them prison privileges in exchange for reducing violence. In fact, American officials slapped sanctions on Bukele’s prisons chief for working with organized crime to sell Covid-19 relief aid on the black market, Reuters noted. Honduras tried to copy Bukele’s state of emergency and harsh anti-crime measures but failed to achieve the same results, El País wrote. The experience suggests gang crackdowns in Central America may not work as well as supporters of the strategy hope, except in regions where authorities have reached accords with gangs to maintain local security. The security achieved by El Salvador has not brought much in the way of peace dividends either. Poverty remains endemic while living costs have steadily risen, despite Bukele’s efforts to leverage cryptocurrency to expand the economy. Bukele says it’s just a matter of time before the economy improves. He also dismisses criticism of his methods, saying the results were worth it. “I don’t care that they call me dictator,” he said last year. “I prefer they call me dictator than see how they kill Salvadorans in the streets. … Salvadorans can finally live in peace. Let them keep arguing semantics, we’re going to continue to be focused on results.”

Argentina: Probe Finds $5 Million Deal Linked To Milei

Argentine Probe Finds Alleged $5 Million Deal Linked to Milei in Crypto Scandal ARGENTINA Argentina Argentine investigators this week uncovered new evidence allegedly linking a $5 million deal to President Javier Milei in the $LIBRA cryptocurrency scheme that saw thousands of investors lose more than $250 million, Merco Press reported Monday. The controversy began in February 2025 when Milei promoted $LIBRA, a digital asset, on social media as part of a project to encourage investment in Argentine businesses. The asset’s price briefly surged after his endorsement but collapsed within hours, leaving tens of thousands of investors with heavy losses. Judicial investigators over the weekend recovered a draft note, among several others, from the phone of businessman Mauricio Novelli, an intermediary between the asset’s promoters and Milei’s office, which outlined the purported multimillion-dollar agreement in exchange for the president’s backing. While observers said that Novelli’s notes do not prove that Milei accepted or signed the agreement or received any payment, the new evidence strengthens the bribery hypothesis in a case authorities have described as a possible transnational fraud scheme. Authorities said there is still no public proof that such an agreement was formally validated by the government. They said that the note was written between October and November 2024, before businessman Hayden Davis – who was linked to the crypto venture – traveled to Argentina. The digital asset, or token, was launched on Feb. 14, 2025. According to the note, the arrangement involved a $1.5 million advance payment, another $1.5 million after Milei announced online that Davis and his associates are his advisors, and an additional $2 million linked to a proposed in-person advisory contract with Milei on blockchain technology. Phone records also showed that dozens of calls and messages were exchanged between Novelli and Milei during the launch of the token, authorities said. Only a small group with early or privileged access made millions off its launch, officials said last year. Milei later distanced himself from the project, saying he had found online the contract code needed to buy $LIBRA and simply posted it on X. But computer specialists called by Argentina’s Congress said the code was not available online when Milei posted it. A lower house investigative commission concluded in November that Milei provided “essential collaboration” to the project and said that Congress should consider whether he committed misconduct in office, potentially opening the door to impeachment proceedings. However no timetable has been set for further action, and political observers say the case is unlikely to advance.

Thiusands Rally Across Brasil In Support of Former President Bolsonaro

Thousands Rally Across Brazil in Support of Jailed Former President Bolsonaro BRAZIL Brazil Thousands of supporters rallied across Brazil over the weekend in support of former right-wing president, Jair Bolsonaro, in an effort to build support for his son ahead of October’s presidential elections, the Associated Press reported. Demonstrations took place in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and the capital, Brasília, with protesters draped in the yellow and green of the national flag, calling for Bolsonaro’s release and denouncing leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Signs reading “Free Bolsonaro” and “Get out Lula” were visible, along with hats declaring support for the jailed president’s son, Flávio Bolsonaro. Brazil’s right is looking to unify after Bolsonaro anointed Flávio, a Rio de Janeiro senator, as his political heir in December. The former president is serving a 27-year prison sentence for charges linked to a failed coup plot following his 2022 re-election loss to Lula. The decision to name Flávio as heir to the right-wing movement initially triggered mixed reactions within the Bolsonaro family and the broader conservative camp, with two governors launching their own presidential bids, according to Agence France-Presse. Bolsonaro said in a note from prison that he regrets “the criticism coming from the right itself” and urged allies to avoid internal divisions. While initially reluctant, Flávio has embraced the candidacy and sought to present a united front. Appearing alongside potential rivals, he told supporters that the Oct. 4 elections “will be decisive,” adding that the conservatives are “one ste

Brasilian Politicians Sentenced To More Than 76 Years In Prison For Ordering A Rio de Janeiro Counselor's Murder

Brazilian Politicians Sentenced to More than 76 Years for Ordering Councilor’s Murder BRAZIL Brazil Brazil’s Supreme Court on Wednesday sentenced two politician brothers to 76 years and three months in prison after finding them guilty of ordering the 2018 assassination of Rio de Janeiro city councilor Marielle Franco, closing a high-profile case that exposed ties between politicians and the mafia, the Washington Post reported. Observers noted that the court’s verdict established a political motive tied to militia-linked land interests. The court said the assassination laid bare how criminal groups can shape local politics through territorial control, intimidation and corruption. The court found former congressman João Francisco Inácio Brazão, known as Chiquinho Brazão, and his brother Domingos Inácio Brazão guilty of attempted homicide, double homicide and criminal organization. Two military police officers were also found guilty of assisting in the planning and logistics of the killing, while former Rio police chief Rivaldo Barbosa was sentenced to 18 years for obstruction of justice and passive corruption. Franco, 38, who was also a human rights activist, was returning from an event with Black women leaders on March 14, 2018, when gunmen in another vehicle opened fire on her car with submachine guns. Franco and her driver Anderson Gomes were killed instantly. Justice Alexandre de Moraes said Franco had challenged land-grabbing operations and housing developments in areas under the brothers’ influence. The brothers “didn’t just have contact with the militia. They were the militia,” he said. Prosecutors also claimed that the militia engaged in crimes such as extortion, territorial control and the exploitation of illicit markets such as “charging residents fees for ‘security’ services,” illegally distributing cable TV signals and monopolizing electoral campaigning “by excluding rivals.” The Supreme Court’s ruling comes after the 2024 confession of Ronnie Lessa, a former military police officer and militia member, who confessed to pulling the trigger and said the Brazão brothers were behind Franco’s murder. Lessa was sentenced to 78 years for double homicide, attempted homicide and receiving stolen property, including the vehicle used in the crime. Defense attorneys denied the brothers’ involvement and dismissed Lessa’s confession. Franco’s sister, Anielle – who serves as minister of racial equality in President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government – welcomed the ruling, saying it had “honored the memory of Marielle and Anderson” and marked “a new historic chapter” in confronting political violence “based on gender and race,” the BBC added.

Peru's President Ousted After Four Months

Peru’s President Ousted After Four Months in ‘Express Impeachment’ PERU Peru Peru’s interim President José Jerí was ousted by Congress after four months in office over a scandal related to secret meetings with Chinese businessmen, deepening political instability before the April 12 general election, the Guardian reported. Lawmakers on Tuesday approved an “express impeachment” by a vote of 75 to 24. Jerí took office after the impeachment of his predecessor, Dina Boluarte, in October for “permanent moral incapacity.” Jerí was Peru’s eighth president since 2016, the fourth consecutive one to be removed and the latest in a long line of leaders who have been embroiled in scandals, removals and resignations. On Wednesday, lawmakers picked left-wing lawmaker and former Supreme Court judge José María Balcázar as the interim president to replace Jerí, CNN reported. The scandal that led to Jerí’s downfall, dubbed “Chifa-gate” – after the name for Peruvian food with Chinese roots – began with revelations that the president had recently held unofficial meetings with Zhihua Yang, a Chinese businessman who holds a state-granted concession for one of his companies. Another Chinese citizen present at one meeting, Ji Wu Xiaodong, is accused of belonging to an illegal timber-trafficking network known as Los Hostiles de la Amazonia and had been under house arrest for two years. Neither meeting was registered in official presidential records. Jerí acknowledged the encounters last month and apologized for how they were conducted. However, he denied any wrongdoing and called the meetings “circumstantial.” Still, prosecutors launched a preliminary investigation into alleged influence-peddling linked to the meetings. Observers explained that the episode unfolded amid rising diplomatic friction between the United States and China over Lima’s economic ties with Beijing. The US said last week it was “concerned” about reports that Peru could be powerless to oversee the port of Chancay, which is ...

Colombia Accepts Rebel Group's Proposal To Allow Independent Probe Into Alleged Drug Links

Colombia Accepts Rebel Group’s Proposal to Allow Independent Probe Into Alleged Drug Links COLOMBIA Colombia Colombian President Gustavo Petro accepted a proposal by the country’s largest rebel group to allow an independent commission to investigate its alleged links to drug trafficking, removing a key obstacle that derailed peace talks last year, the Associated Press reported. The proposal came in a Jan. 20 video by Antonio Garcia, leader of the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group, who said the rebels impose a tax on cocaine traders but do not run trafficking routes or cocaine labs. Garcia challenged the government to authorize an independent verification process. While accepting the proposal on Sunday, Petro said the body verifying the claims should be “scientific and independent of governments” and deliver its findings to the United Nations. He also urged the ELN to support efforts to replace coca crops in the northeastern Catatumbo region. The move comes weeks after Colombia and the United States agreed to joint military and intelligence action against the country’s criminal groups. Petro has long accused the ELN leadership of being “drug traffickers dressed up as guerrilla fighters,” and this allegation has led to stalled peace talks during the first two years of his administration. Talks collapsed last year after the ELN launched an offensive in Catatumbo that killed dozens and displaced more than 50,000 people. Founded in the early 1960s, the ELN has about 5,000 fighters in Colombia and neighboring Venezuela. Its influence has expanded along the Venezuelan border since another major Colombian guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), disbanded in 2017 following a peace deal. The ELN said in January it would like to work toward a “national accord” to resume negotiations, but Petro has insisted talks will only restart if the group abandons drug trafficking. Earlier this month, Colombia’s most powerful criminal group, the Gaitanist Army of Colombia (EGC), suspended peace talks after reports that authorities would target its top leader. Observers noted that the renewed US-Colombia push complicates Petro’s “Total Peace” strategy, which seeks negotiated settlements with armed groups.

Panama Canal Becomes 'A Blueprint For Ejecting China From Latin America

Panama Canal Becomes a ‘Blueprint’ for Ejecting China from Latin America PANAMA Panama In 1997, Panama issued the first of two 25-year licenses to a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings, giving the firm control of ports on both sides of the Panama Canal – a move critics say expanded China’s strategic footprint in the waterway. Since then, American leaders, especially President Donald Trump, have sounded alarm bells over China’s influence in the region. In his inauguration speech last year, for instance, Trump vowed to take back the canal that the US transferred to Panama in 1999 and has put the Central American country under pressure ever since. The canal is a “hinge point” in the new world order that Trump is seeking to create. The American invasion of Venezuela last month was a major milestone in that plan. A second came in late January when Panama’s Supreme Court invalidated the two agreements on constitutional grounds in a case filed by the government three days after CK Hutchison refused to sell its port operations. Analysts say Panama is a warning to the rest of the Americas – get ready to be caught between the US and China. “It is hard to imagine that any of this would have happened without the pressure applied by the United States,” the Economist said. The capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and ominous threats over Greenland’s sovereignty grab the world’s attention, but the squeeze that Mr. Trump has put on Panama is more relevant for the rest of the Americas. Panama could become a blueprint. Small countries are vulnerable.” In the case, plaintiffs said the licenses were bad for the country. Since CK Hutchison Holdings began operating the ports, the Panamanian government has lost $1.3 billion in revenues, which are vital to the local economy, the Wall Street Journal reported, noting that 5 percent of global trade and 40 percent of US trade pass through the canal. The court’s decision was a big win for Trump. Chinese officials described it as “political backstabbing” and a “legal absurdity,” wrote Agence France-Presse. CK Hutchison Holdings has initiated arbitration proceedings, but Panamanian officials have yet to confirm whether they will join. The canal is extremely important for Chinese exporters who would lose significant margins if they had to transport their goods around South America rather than cutting through the canal to the Caribbean and the US. The Panama case may serve as a model for other Latin American countries facing US pressure to reduce Chinese influence. In 2021, similar pressure persuaded Chile to terminate a contract with a Chinese-German consortium managing its passports. Still, China controls about two-thirds of Chile’s energy sector. Currently, Peru is in Washington’s sights because of a $1.3 billion Chinese-built megaport in Chancay. The Trump administration last week expressed concern that China was costing Peru its sovereignty by solidifying control over the South American nation’s critical infrastructure after a Peruvian court ruling restricted a local regulator’s oversight of the port. “The…port …has become a symbol of China’s foothold in Latin America and a lightning rod for tensions with Washington,” wrote Houston Public Media. The Chinese government strongly rejected the US comments on the port issue. China, since the 1990s, has been steadily increasing its influence in South and Central America. Currently, China is the top trading partner for South America and is becoming the largest for Latin America as a whole, wrote the Conversation. It is also a major source of foreign direct investment and infrastructure lending for the region. However, Chinese investments also tend to focus on areas that give Beijing control over a country’s critical infrastructure such as the Peruvian port, as part of its Belt and Road Initiative. Meanwhile, Chinese diplomats said they would force Panama to pay a “heavy price” for its actions vis- à-vis the Panama Canal. Analysts say arbitration will be costly, but other measures from China could include cutting financing to the country. Meanwhile, Panama’s investment credentials could also take a hit. Still, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino stuck to his guns, saying the Chinese would need to accept the decision because his country respected the rule of law, according to Al Jazeera. “Panama is a dignified country and will not allow itself to be threatened by any country on earth,” Mulino said recently. However, last year, many Panamanians expressed similar sentiments toward what they perceived as US interference, angry at the bullying from the behemoth to the north. Still, Amalendu Misra, professor of international politics at Lancaster University, says the Panamanian Supreme Court decision is a warning to China and countries in the region. “(Chinese companies may) come to realize with the Panamanian Supreme Court verdict that there is nothing that China can do if your investment goes down the drain,” Misra told France24. “Many Latin American and Central American countries are going to become stronger now by taking this example, by saying no to Chinese control of their resources, their ports and other things.”