Extortion, murder, drug trafficking… In El Salvador, gangs are terrorising locals and defying the authorities. They have thousands of members and are extremely well organised. The leaders run extortion networks even after they’ve been arrested, from within their jail cells. They have amassed fortunes, becoming rich and powerful enough to spread corruption at the highest levels.
We saw them close up in La Vida Loca, the documentary made by Christian Poveda, who was later murdered by the very subjects of his film. Killings are common along the rival gang members, who live in the poorest parts of El Savador. But the Maras are growing up. What were once petty criminals are becoming ringleaders of organised crime, with millions of dollars stashed away - leading to fears that they could soon ally themselves with powerful drug cartels in nearby Mexico.
Tropical storm Alex, the first major storm of the Atlantic season, tore past Central American coasts at wind speeds reaching 45 miles an hours (75 kilometres), leaving at least 10 people dead in Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador.
The death toll from a weekend storm that thrashed Central America has risen to at least 144 people, with most of the casualties coming from Guatemala. Rescuers continue to search through the rubble with dozens more people still reported missing.
The first tropical storm of the season in the Americas has left at least 96 dead in Guatemala and El Salvador and forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, amid flash floods and mudslides triggered by heavy rains, officials said Sunday.
The season's first tropical storm loomed over Central America's Pacific coast on Saturday, after killing one person in El Salvador and 14 in Guatemala, a country already struggling to cope with a huge volcanic eruption.
El Salvador's Health Ministry has said it lacks the medical supplies, man power and equipment needed to continue rescue operations launched after Hurricane Ida devastated the Central American country.
A late-season hurricane tore through parts of Central America on Sunday as floods and landslides killed at least 124 in El Salvador, where the president declared a state of emergency, and thousands were left homeless in Nicaragua.
Heavy rains and flooding caused by Hurricane Ida killed at least 91 people in El Salvador, according to government officials, as the storm gathered strength after re-entering the Caribbean Sea.
"La Vida Loca" is the last work by Christian Poveda, a Franco-Spanish director murdered in El Salvador in September. Released in France this Wednesday, it depicts the daily life of the youth of Mara 18, one of San Salvador’s most violent gangs.
