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A multinational Hispanic youth gang, called Mara Salvatrucha (MS), recently warned new Guatemalan President Oscar Berger that it would begin slaughtering civilians indiscriminately if he does not immediately call off a police crackdown against street gangs known regionally as "maras." Separately, police in neighboring Honduras recently arrested MS members on charges of conspiring to assassinate President Roberto Maduro and head of Congress Porfirio Lobo.
Both incidents highlight the greatest security threat confronting Central America: Increasingly sophisticated, heavily-armed maras, like MS, are challenging government crackdowns on gang-related violence, drug trafficking and other criminal activities. In recent months, El Salvadoran police security forces arrested close to 8,000 suspected maras members and Honduran authorities arrested more than 1,000 youths for suspected membership in maras. The security sweeps have disrupted lucrative drug-trafficking enterprises and enraged MS leaders in both countries.
Now it appears that MS has decided to strike back. So far, no attacks against political targets have been successful. However, widespread availability of automatic weapons and explosives in Central America suggest it is only a question of time before mara gunmen strike senior officials. Central Americans, including foreign residents, also face increased risk of becoming victims of politically motivated gang violence if the maras carry out their threats.
A street war between gangs and governments likely would undercut prospects for more robust economic development resulting from the recently signed free trade agreement (FTA) between several Central American states and the Bush administration. Although the U.S. Congress has yet to approve the FTA, its Central American proponents hope the deal attracts a flood of new foreign direct investment. However, maras could scare off many potential foreign investors if they begin attacking civilian targets indiscriminately.
The risk that maras might make good on their threats should be taken seriously. Unlike Mexican and Colombian drug-trafficking syndicates operating in Central America, the maras would rather confront the authorities violently than adopt a low profile and seek negotiations with potentially corrupt public officials. This predisposition to violence is an integral part of mara street gang culture, which requires bloody retaliation against any perceived act of disrespect against mara members or any threats to their "territory."
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