Bus Strike in El Salvador

9/11/10

About 10 days ago, the government in El Salvador drafted a new anti-gang law.  This move is mainly in response to the deaths of 14 people in June, when gang members doused a bus in gasoline and set it on fire. With this new law, simply being found to be a member of a gang could be punishable by up to 10 years in jail. In response to this measure, leaders from two of the largest gangs in El Salvador, the Mara Salvatrucha and MS-18, worked together and forced a three-day bus strike, warning that any buses found on the road between the days of September 7-9 would risk having their drivers shot and their buses set on fire. On the first day of the strike, about 40-60% of the buses in El Salvador ceased to operate. Most of these lines were centered in and around the capital of San Salvador, and those with access to San Miguel, in the eastern part of the country. It’s not surprising that the transport companies were chosen as the target for this forced strike. The gangs regularly extort money from the drivers and cobradores (fare collectors) of the buses. It’s not uncommon for bus drivers to be shot and killed if they refuse to pay.

 The first day of the strike was Tuesday, the same day that all the Rural Health volunteers were due to travel into San Salvador for a three-day in-service training; about 35 volunteers in total. I didn’t even know about the strike until 7 am that morning when I got a text from my security officer warning that, while we weren’t on standfast, we should avoid travel. I needed to get into training though, and the buses to and from Chalate were running completely normally. Several of us came into San Sal from Chalate without any problems, although when we got there, the Eastern Terminal was completely deserted, and there was a very heavy military presence on the streets of the capital. A number volunteers in the east of the country hitch hiked in to the capital together, and others had a Peace Corps driver come out and get them. Either way, we all got in fine eventually.

Our three day in-service training was in Apaneca, Ahuachapan, in a beautiful resort in the mountains of the western part of the country. It looked a lot like a Vermont ski lodge, only with a jungle vibe instead of snow. We took a private microbus to and from Ahuachapan, and weren’t further affected by the strike. On the second day, the gang leaders went on television demanding that President Mauricio Funes veto the new anti-gang law. They also apologized the the Salvadoran people, saying they were sincerely sorry for the inconvenience that a three-day stop of the buses would cause. The strike officially ended yesterday, and although there were some rumors of continuing the strike, the buses are all running normally again now. President Funes approved the anti-gang law, and 8 days from now, it will be in effect. It’s hard to know what the reaction from the gangs will be when this happens, but I hope that the law will be able to evoke a positive change the crime and violence rate in El Salvador. Right now, there is an average 10 murders per day in a country with the population of 7 million people.

 On a personal note, I should add that the department in which I live, Chalatenango, is very safe. Places like Chalate and Morazon don’t hold a lot of interest for the gangs, because they are rural, difficult to access, and extremely poor. There is very little money to be made in these areas, therefore the gang presence is very low. Right now, the government is constructing a new highway that will connect the northern departments and make access much easier. Unfortunately, there is a very valid concern that, although the highway will help the departments prosper economically, it will also bring gang violence and a higher rate of illnesses like HIV/AIDS. I won’t be here when the highway is completed, but it’s obviously very worrisome to the people in my community.