SAN SALVADOR – Sealing some Salvadoran prisoners’ cells with sheet metal is a draconian measure sure to draw accusations of human rights violations, but President Nayib Bukele circulated photos of the cell modifications himself, counting on the support of a population traumatized by gang violence.
Still, experts warn that the popular president’s harsh move could backfire, unite the country’s powerful gangs against his government and return El Salvador to the days when it was one of the world’s deadliest countries.
That would be a dangerous distraction as his government battles the COVID-19 pandemic. Bukele alleged that the gangs had taken advantage of the security forces' focus on enforcing a quarantine to lash out, but he seemed