DAILY WIRE
Video of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele addressing soldiers tasked with battling rampant gang activity went viral on social media as the small Latin American nation seeks to control violent crime.
El Salvador saw a 56.8% decrease in the murder rate last year as the nation’s government launched an operation against gangs such as MS-13, which is especially infamous for its brutal killings of women and children. Salvadoran authorities arrested some 64,000 suspected gang members in less than one year.
Bukele previously shared a video on social media showing 2,000 gang members with shaved heads and no clothes except for identical white shorts being packed into buses by heavily armed prison guards and transported to a newly constructed supermax prison. Bukele, who assumed office in 2019, shared more footage from a speech he delivered to units of Salvadoran soldiers dressed in battle gear and positioned in a large field. He emphasized the government’s role in protecting the innocent.
Nayib Bukele on Twitter: “🇸🇻 pic.twitter.com/Th2Zz8FbpQ / Twitter”
🇸🇻 pic.twitter.com/Th2Zz8FbpQ
“For eight months, we have been fighting this war against the gangs. And thank God, we are winning. This is a very surprising victory that is nearly within our grasp. Let it be clear that the glory is for God,” Bukele said. “We humans are lucky to be instruments of God, all of us, to bring peace, liberty, and happiness to the Salvadoran people.”
Bukele commended the young soldiers for embracing the virtues that have historically built prosperous nations. “Peace is built with hard work, with sweat, with effort, and with the bravery that you and your brothers in the police have,” he continued. “It is worth risking your life for that purpose that is more important than yourself alone. Values such as bravery, such as courage, such as strength, discipline, patriotism, honor, loyalty, and love for your fellow man.”
