“The results outweigh the rhetoric. I hope that Colombia actually succeeds in reducing the murder rate, as we Salvadorans have achieved.” That was the answer of the Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele for his Colombian counterpart, the president Gustavus Petroamid the controversy over the mega prison designed to hold gang members in El Salvador.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro described the mega-prison recently inaugurated by its counterpart in El Salvador as a “concentration camp” for youths, Najib Bukele, who defended the “results” of his vigorous anti-crime policies.

On his Twitter account on Thursday, Bukele highlighted the near-zero number of homicides since applying his policy of zero tolerance to crime, saying the Wednesday, March 1 ended with 0 homicides in the country.

“You see on social networks the terrible pictures – I am not allowed to interfere in the affairs of other countries – of the concentration camp in El Salvador. Full of young people, thousands and thousands imprisoned, it gives you goosebumps,” the Colombian president launched during a public event at a university in Bogotá.

“I think there are people who enjoy (…) seeing the youth in prison; and they believe this is security. And the popularity is rising,” added the first left-wing president in Colombia’s history, referring to the media show Bukele gave last week about the transfer of the first inmates to a new prison designed for 40,000 prisoners.

Informative photo released by the Press Secretary of the Presidency of El Salvador showing police officers escorting detainees from the MS-13 and 18 gangs as they arrive at the new prison “Centro de Confinamiento de Terroristas” (CECOT), in Tecoluca, a 74 km southeast of San Salvador, on February 24, 2023. Photo: — –

In a video released by the President of El Salvador, many gang members – mainly belonging to the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18 – can be seen wearing only white shorts and barefoot, entering the prison under heavy police custody .

A survey by CIG-Gallup found in February that 90% of Salvadorans rate their president’s management as good or very good.

Informative photo released by the Press Secretary of the Presidency of El Salvador showing the arrival of prisoners of the gangs MS-13 and 18 at the new prison “Centro de Confinamiento de Terroristas” (CECOT), in Tecoluca, 74 km southeast of San Salvador, on February 24, 2023. Photo: — –

In 2022, El Salvador recorded a rate of 7.8 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, the lowest since Bukele came to power in June 2019, according to the Justice Department.

Petro also proposes the peaceful dismantling of the drug gangs with a policy of penal and economic benefits for those who leave the company.

against gangs

This Thursday, Bukele himself published a video on his social networks showing prisoners vandalizing graves with gang symbols, mainly the Mara Salvatrucha.

El Salvador is under one emergency regime declared by the government in response to a murderous escalation that killed 87 people between 25 and 27 March 2022.

The measure, which allows arrests without a warrant, was extended until March 17 and is being questioned by several humanitarian organizations for violating people’s rights.