In El Salvador, walls that were once plastered with gang graffiti now feature tableaus of birds, flowers and landscapes, as artists reclaim public spaces from vanquished crime gangs.
MS-13 and its arch-rival Barrio 18 controlled 80 percent of El Salvador’s territory, according to official figures, before being dismantled in Bukele’s crackdown, which NGOs have denounced for serious human rights violations. In October 2024, 10 de Octubre was locked down by police in a major anti-gang operation that resulted in hundreds of arrests. Hollywood was the name of the MS-13 cell that held the community in a vice-grip.
In a sign of the fear that still persists in former gang hotspots, several residents stopped to admire the murals but refused to speak with AFP, for fear of being identified by the gang “remnants” they say still live nearby.
Since then, the area has been under constant police and military patrol.
