One Person Goes Missing Daily in El Salvador's Gang Crackdown

SAN SALVADOR — A troubling trend has emerged in El Salvador, where a coalition of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) reports that one person goes missing each day amid the government's aggressive campaign against criminal gangs. According to data from the attorney general’s office, 366 individuals were reported missing in the year leading up to May 31, 2023. This figure represents a nearly 10% increase compared to estimates from the United Nations and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for the previous year. President Nayib Bukele's administration has touted significant improvements in public safety, claiming over 650 days without homicides since he took office in June 2019. Bukele's controversial "state-of-exception," initiated in March 2022, has led to the suspension of certain civil rights, mass trials for suspects, and the construction of a "mega-prison." While these measures have garnered Bukele widespread popularity, evidenced by his recent re-election with 85% of the vote, human rights organizations have raised alarms over reports of deaths in custody and the arbitrary detention and mistreatment of children. In response to the rising number of missing persons, the NGOs have launched an online portal for citizens to report cases, aiming to enhance the tracking of disappearances and support affected families. However, they emphasize that this initiative should not replace the government's responsibility to provide accurate public information. The NGOs have also criticized the government's human rights commissioner, Andres Guzman, for a lack of transparency regarding the issue of missing persons, with no immediate response from his office or the attorney general’s office.