Crossing Continents El Salvador's Gang Truce El Salvador's Gang Truce
In one of the most violent countries on earth, peace has broken out. In March, a truce was brokered between El Salvador's two most violent street gangs and they agreed to stop killing each other. The Mara Salvatrucha and 18th Street are criminal outfits which trace their origins to Los Angeles. In the 1990s, older members were deported from the US and forged local 'branches' on the streets of El Salvador. Since the truce - brokered in prisons with the gangs' leaders - the murder rate of this small Central American nation has been cut by more than half. Crossing Continents visits the imprisoned leaders of both gangs to find out how the deal was done.
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Crossing Continents—El Salvador's Gang Truce
El Salvador's gangs have made a truce. The murder rate has plummeted. Can it last?
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