In the context of the Congress of Honorary Consuls, Gustavo Villatoro, the Minister of Justice and Security, presented the successful security strategy led by President Nayib Bukele through the Territorial Control Plan.

The official highlighted that since the signing of the Peace Accords in 1992, El Salvador had never made significant progress towards peace, security, and hope. Therefore, it was crucial to understand where they came from. He explained that criminal gangs existed in the country, and later, deported gang members from the United States started arriving, which led to the growth of this phenomenon throughout Salvadoran communities and the entire territory.

El ministro de @SeguridadSV, @Vi11atoro, presentó los avances del Plan Control Territorial, política pública ejecutada desde 2019 y que busca transformar a El Salvador en un país con mejores condiciones de seguridad, llegando a ser un referente de cambio regional. pic.twitter.com/1fxgsQCXB9

— Cancillería de El Salvador 🇸🇻 (@cancilleriasv) June 14, 2023

«As part of this historical review, we analyzed all these laws that international organizations imposed on us as ‘false recipes’—solutions that were meant to address the problem but, in reality, only made it worse,» stated the Minister of Security.

Villatoro mentioned that among the specific objectives of the Territorial Control Plan (TCP) were to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the justice system and public security and, as a second objective, to reduce criminal incidents, particularly homicides and extortions.

The official emphasized that it was not true that they couldn’t confront these terrorist structures. «Here is where the leadership and courage of our President Nayib Bukele become essential—to conduct a conscious study of El Salvador’s past, to know what we shouldn’t do. This is a problem that only we Salvadorans can solve, without the ‘false recipes’ of international organizations, and we are proving it,» he stated.

Villatoro highlighted that the Bukele administration and its Security Cabinet are doing all the necessary work to combat criminality. «Today, our country has hope. These decisions have not been easy. We inherited a country with a 97% impunity rate, and currently, we have reduced it to less than 15%,» the minister emphasized.

The Minister of Justice and Security’s presentation at the Congress of Honorary Consuls provided an opportunity to showcase the achievements of the Territorial Control Plan and highlight the government’s commitment to addressing the country’s security challenges. Through a critical examination of the past and a focus on effective strategies, El Salvador is demonstrating its determination to fight crime and build a safer and more prosperous future for its citizens.