El Salvador | About 7,000 soldiers and 1,000 policemen occupy the Cabañas region.

At least 8,000 military and police officers continue to search for the “remnants” of the gangs in El Salvador.

On Tuesday, security forces erected a so-called “security fence” in the department of Cabañas, about 80 km from the capital, becoming the first department to be completely “fenced off”.

All this is happening under the state of emergency, introduced since March 2022 as a strategy for the government of President Naib Bukele to combat gangs.

According to a statement posted on social media, El Salvador’s National Health Forum (FNS) has rejected the siege of the Cabañas department as it poses a “threat” to the human rights of its inhabitants. This situation also divided the population

José Escobar, a Salvadoran citizen living in Washington, states: “After experiencing so much violence in the country, we are glad that peace of mind reigns at this time.”

Vilma Escamilla, a Santa Marta resident, states: “Many mothers are concerned that they see that there are many soldiers around our community and they are afraid for their children, because they can take away their freedom right now, walking in the community.”

In response to an escalation of 87 weekend killings in March 2022, El Salvador’s president launched a gang war and declared a state of emergency. Since then, some constitutional guarantees have been suspended and nearly 72,000 people suspected of gang membership have been detained.