In recent days there have been several crossovers of statements due to the differences in criteria regarding security plans between the presidents of Colombia and El Salvador.
After several disagreements through the networks with his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro, the Salvadoran president, Nayib Bukele, stated that he would like to take a vacation in the South American country.
“I think I’ll go on vacation to Colombia,” wrote the Salvadoran president in response to a trill from Semana, half an opponent of Petro and the Historical Pact, who titled his cover ‘The miracle of Bukele‘.
The Central American president appears in the cover photo of the publication that, in its editorial line, has shown wide sympathy for the Democratic Center, a party led by former right-wing president Álvaro Uribe.
«The impressive story of Nayib Bukele, the president who rescued El Salvador. The success of his war against crime and the clashes with Gustavo Petro have managed to capture the attention of Colombians,” says the summary of the article.
disputes
The most recent altercation occurred last week, when Petro criticized the prison policy promoted by his Salvadoran counterpart. In response to the trill, Bukele assured that his counterpart had an “obsession” with the Central American country and referred to his son, Nicolás Petro, who is being investigated for allegedly receiving bribes and illicit money for the campaign of Bukele’s father. he.
At the beginning of March there was another exchange of statements. Petro affirmed in a public act that the images of young people imprisoned in El Salvador resembled those of a concentration camp, after criticizing the sympathy that a certain sector of society generated to see these people in prisons.
Bukele came out to defend himself from his Twitter account: “Mr. Gustavo Petro. Results weigh more than rhetoric. I hope that Colombia actually succeeds in lowering the homicide rates, as we Salvadorans have achieved. God bless you,” he said.
Both presidents have diametrically opposed security policies and the defense of their strategies has caused their clashes.
Bukele has bet since 2019 on a controversial Territorial Control Plan, which seeks to dismantle gangs and reduce the homicide rate. To this end, a state of emergency was declared in March 2022, which for some organizations and human rights defenders suspends a percentage of constitutional rightsfacilitates arbitrary detentions that do not comply with due process and allows mistreatment of detainees.
Petro, for his part, is working on reforms in the penal and judicial system, with the aim of dismantling criminal gangs, including benefits for prisoners and reparations for victims. In addition, the president has said that he will not build another prison, because his policy aims at the humanization and decongestion of penitentiary centers.