El Salvador’s Bukele Accuses U.S. of Supporting Gangs; Peru’s Mining Loses Its Luster

A roundup of Tuesday’s news from across Latin America

Bloomberg Línea
April 12, 2022 | 11:10 PM

Bloomberg Línea — El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele claimed the Joe Biden administration supports the gangs operating in the Central American country and their “civil liberties”. Bukele made the accusation in a tweet, in response to a post by U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price, who had stated that “the U.S. government continues to support El Salvador in its efforts to reduce gang proliferation. We urge El Salvador to protect its citizens and, at the same time, protect civil liberties, including freedom of the press”.

Price was referring to Bukele’s imposition of the so-called Law of Exception to combat a recent crime wave among gangs, and which includes mass arrests, with some 3,000 alleged gang members rounded up and imprisoned. Bukele said that El Salvador did receive support from the U.S. in its combat of gangs, but that it was during the Trump administration.

Peru has lost some of its allure as a destination for major mining investments. The Fraser Institute published its annual survey on Tuesday, and which ranks the South American country in 42nd place, down from 24th place in 2020, out of a total of 84 positions, which includes cities and countries, ranked for their attractiveness for mining investment.

All of Latin America’s stock markets closed with losses Tuesday, with Peru’s S&P BVL/Perú (SPBLPGPT) posting the sharpest decline, of 1.34%, while Brazil’s Ibovespa (IBOV) fell 0.69% and Mexico’s S&P BMV/IPC (MEXBOL) dropped 1.02%.

Following is a roundup of Tuesday’s news from Bloomberg Línea and Bloomberg reporters across Latin America.

Argentina:

Brazil:

Chile:

Colombia:

Ecuador:

El Salvador:

  • El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele claimed Joe Biden’s administration supports the gangs operating in the Central American country and their “civil liberties”. Bukele made the accusation in a tweet, in response to a post by U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price, who stated that “the U.S. government continues to support El Salvador in its efforts to reduce gang proliferation. We urge El Salvador to protect its citizens and, at the same time, protect civil liberties, including freedom of the press”. Price was referring to Bukele’s imposition of the so-called Law of Exception to combat a recent crime wave among gangs, and which includes mass arrests, with some 3,000 alleged gang members rounded up and imprisoned. Bukele said that El Salvador did receive support from the U.S. in its combat of gangs, but that it was during the Trump administration.

Mexico:

Peru:

Uruguay: