Summary
El Salvador ended 2024 with a record low 114 homicides, equivalent to 1.9 per 100,000 people, making it the safest country in the Western Hemisphere according to President Nayib Bukele.
The drop follows two years under a state of emergency aimed at eradicating gang violence, granting authorities sweeping powers but limiting civil rights.
Over 83,000 arrests have been made, though 354 detainees reportedly died in custody.
While criticized for human rights violations, Bukele’s crackdown has drastically improved security, boosting his popularity.
What it means in this case is that you’ve got open warfare between the police and a large segment of the populace. Not unlike your premise that the numbers from El Salvador are the result of, effectively, open warfare between the police and the gangs.
Neither countries numbers are any more or less questionable than the other’s. Take from this what you will.
I’d say in Syria it was more militants and militaries doing the warfare rather than police, but that’s just my gut feeling, the police’s involvement might’ve been larger than I think
Read the source. It specifically notes that the numbers from Syria are exceptionally high because they are in the context of an active civil war.
No