Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori announced during a TikTok live broadcast on Sunday evening that she plans to travel to El Salvador in late October to review the country’s anti-gang security tactics and penitentiary system firsthand. The upcoming visit follows an official invitation extended by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, as Peru seeks effective solutions to combat a surging wave of organized crime and violent extortion networks.

The high-level meeting reflects Fujimori’s administration’s commitment to tackling public safety concerns that dominated her recent campaign platform focused on restoring law and order. Addressing the planned trip, Foreign Minister Carlos Espá highlighted the significance of the bilateral engagement, stating that officials are “very excited about this meeting, which offers many lessons learned to share” to effectively respond to public demands for enhanced citizen security.

Central to Peru’s interest is El Salvador’s approach to gang containment and administrative prison infrastructure. Fujimori’s government aims to leverage these operational insights to drive a major overhaul of Peru’s national prison network, which currently faces severe overcrowding. Peru’s correctional system holds approximately 100,000 inmatesacross facilities designed for a maximum capacity of just 40,000 individuals.

As extortion rings and violent criminal syndicates continue targeting Peruvian local businesses, the October exchange represents a strategic move toward adopting proven regional models. Foreign Minister Espá noted that the lessons gathered from Bukele’s security strategy will serve to “serve to effectively respond to the demands of the Peruvian people for greater public safety” through comprehensive law enforcement and institutional reforms.