View source for Blockade of San Marcos

{{Short description|Blockade in El Salvador}}
{{Infobox civil conflict
| title            = Blockade of San Marcos
| partof           = the [[Salvadoran gang crackdown]]
| image            = Soldiers during the Blockade of San Marcos.jpg
| caption          =
| date             = 28 October 2024
| place            = [[San Marcos, El Salvador]]
| coordinates      =
| status           =
| result           =
| side1            = {{flagdeco|El Salvador}} [[El Salvador|Salvadoran government]]
* [[Salvadoran Army]]
* [[National Civil Police (El Salvador)|National Civil Police]]
| side2            = Criminal gangs
* [[MS-13|Mara Salvatrucha]]
* [[18th Street gang]]
| leadfigures1     = {{plainlist|
* {{flagdeco|El Salvador}} [[Nayib Bukele]]
}}
| howmany1         = 2,000 soldiers<br />500 police officers
| howmany2         =
| fatalities       =
| injuries         =
| arrests          = Unknown
}}{{Campaignbox Salvadoran gang crackdown}}
The '''blockade of San Marcos''' is an operation by the Salvadoran government to arrest members of the criminal gangs of the Mara Salvatrucha ([[MS-13]]) and [[18th Street gang|Mara Barrio 18]] in the district of [[San Marcos, El Salvador|San Marcos]]. The operation began on October 28, 2024, when the Salvadoran President [[Nayib Bukele]] announced that 2,500 members of the country's security forces surrounded the 10 de Octubre community.<ref>{{Cite web |last=La Prensa Gráfica |first=Diego Guevara |date=October 28, 2024 |title=Gobierno instala cerco militar en Colonia 10 de Octubre de San Marcos |url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Bukele-anuncia-cerco-militar-en-colonia-de-San-Marcos-20241028-0003.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=X |first=Nayib Bukele |date=October 28, 2024 |title=Inteligencia policial ha determinado que en la colonia 10 de Octubre, en San Marcos, San Salvador Sur, se encuentra un grupo de pandilleros escondidos. |url=https://x.com/nayibbukele/status/1850876039741710817}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Nayib Bukele ordena cerco de seguridad en San Marcos |url=https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/fuerzas-de-seguridad-ministro-publica-fuerza-armada-policia-pnc-nayib-bukele-pandillas-/1177583/2024/ |access-date=2024-10-28 |website=Noticias de El Salvador - Noticias de El Salvador, noticias internacionales, salvadoreños por el mundo, economia, negocios, politica, deportes, entretenimiento, tecnologia, turismo, tendencias, fotos, videos, redes sociales |language=es}}</ref>
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== Background history ==
On March 27, 2022, the government of El [[El Salvador|Salvador]], chaired by [[Nayib Bukele]] since June 1, 2019, declared a state of national emergency after recording a significant increase in [[homicide]]s. Between March 25 and 27, 87 murders were reported, which represented the highest number of violent deaths in a weekend since the [[Salvadoran Civil War|Salvadoran civil war]] ended in 1992.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-28 |title=Las víctimas del día más violento del siglo |url=https://elfaro.net/es/202204/el_salvador/26107/Las-v%C3%ADctimas-del-d%C3%ADa-m%C3%A1s-violento-del-siglo.htm |access-date=2024-10-28 |website=Las víctimas del día más violento del siglo |language=en}}</ref>
The increase of violence was attributed to the actions of the two main gangs that operate in El Salvador: the Mara Salvatrucha ([[MS-13]]) and [[18th Street gang|Barrio 18 gang]]. Both criminal groups emerged in the 1980s in Salvadoran immigrant communities in the [[United States]] and expanded throughout the national territory after the signing of the [[Chapultepec Peace Accords|Peace Accords in 1992.]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Responsabilidad de Estados Unidos en el origen de las pandillas |url=https://elfaro.net/es/201706/ef_academico/20560/Responsabilidad-de-Estados-Unidos-en-el-origen-de-las-pandillas.htm |access-date=2024-10-28 |website=Responsabilidad de Estados Unidos en el origen de las pandillas |language=en}}</ref>
By 2022, it is estimated that the two gangs would have a total of 70,000 members. Since the beginning of the regime of exception in March, until July 25, 2023, the authorities arrested more than 71,776 people linked to the MS-13 and Barrio 18 gangs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=X |first=Gobierno de El Salvador |date=25 July 2023 |title=El Régimen de Excepción ha marcado un antes y después en El Salvador. |url=https://x.com/Gobierno_SV/status/1683982964382629890}}</ref>
== Operation ==
The Intelligence Center of the National Civil Police ([[National Civil Police (El Salvador)|PNC]]) of El Salvador identified, through investigative work, the presence of alleged members of criminal structures in the 10 de Octubre neighborhood, located in the district of San Marcos, department of San Salvador. In response to this intelligence information, the authorities deployed a large-scale operation that involved 2,000 members of the Armed Forces of El Salvador [[Armed Forces of El Salvador|Fuerza armada de El Salvador]] (FAES) and 500 PNC agents.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-28 |title=Instalan registros vehiculares como parte del cerco de seguridad en San Marcos |url=https://diariolahuella.com/instalan-registros-vehiculares-como-parte-del-cerco-de-seguridad-en-san-marcos/ |access-date=2024-10-28 |website=diariolahuella.com |language=es}}</ref> <ref name="auto">{{Cite web |date=2024-10-28 |title=Policías y militares cercan barriada de El Salvador para capturar pandilleros |url=https://www.diariolasamericas.com/america-latina/policias-y-militares-cercan-barriada-el-salvador-capturar-pandilleros-n5365872 |access-date=2024-10-28 |website=diariolasamericas.com |language=es-US}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |last=Semana |date=2024-10-28 |title=Así fue el impresionante operativo de Nayib Bukele para capturar a grupo de pandilleros |url=https://www.semana.com/mundo/articulo/asi-fue-el-impresionante-operativo-de-nayib-bukele-para-capturar-a-grupo-de-pandilleros-extraer-hasta-el-ultimo/202420/ |access-date=2024-10-28 |website=Semana.com Últimas Noticias de Colombia y el Mundo |language=spanish}}</ref>
This operation, which is part of the Territorial Control Plan, had as its main objective the identification, location and capture of members of criminal organizations that, according to intelligence reports, maintained a presence in said residential area.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-28 |title=Presidente Bukele anuncia cerco de seguridad en Colonia 10 de octubre, San Marcos |url=https://lapagina.com.sv/nacionales/presidente-bukele-anuncia-cerca-de-seguridad-en-colonia-10-de-octubre-san-marcos/ |access-date=2024-10-28 |website=Diario La Página |language=es}}</ref>
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:2024 in El Salvador]]
[[Category:Gangs in El Salvador]]
[[Category:Law enforcement operations against organized crime in El Salvador]]
[[Category:MS-13]]
[[Category:Nayib Bukele]]