In 1821, El Salvador gained its independence from Spain and eventually declared themselves an independent republic. El Salvador has good relations with the United States, but were interrupted in 1931 following a coup from socialists groups. Tension grew and continued until 1970 which led to a civil war between the military and “left-wing guerrillas.” As the civil war continued on until 1992, however, during this war there was a rise of gang violence as well. Even though leftist rebels signed a United Nations-brokered peace accord, this didn’t mean El Salvador became a safe nation overnight.
(May 1981, a rally to protest U.S. military involvement in El Salvador)
The years after the civil war were hard as many Presidents following were convicted of abusing their power, but eventually in 2019, Nayib Bukele was elected President and the country has benefitted from that decision. In March 2022, Bukele initiated a crackdown of gang activity and violence and by February 2024, 75,000 people has been arrested. The homicide by this point has significantly plummeted and now Salvadorans are able to work and live in El Salvador freely without the threat of gang violence.
