El Salvador's Bukele tells US conservatives to 'put up a fight'
His popularity soared after he cracked down on crime and gangs.
In Summary
Mr Bukele - who calls himself the world's coolest dictator - was re-elected for a second term this month.
Following his election in 2019, he turned El Salvador from the murder capital of the world into one of the region's safest countries.
Image: EPA
The president of El Salvador told American conservatives to "put up a fight" against the "global elites" in order to get their country back.
"The people of El Salvador have woken up, and so can you," Nayib Bukele said in a speech at the biggest annual gathering of conservatives in the US.
. . .
His government carried out sweeping arrests of anyone suspected of being involved in gang activity during his first term in office.
An estimated 75,000 people have been arrested under emergency measures that have been repeatedly extended, alarming human rights groups.
Amnesty International recently criticised the "gradual replacement of gang violence with state violence" in the country.
More:
https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/world/2024-02-23-el-salvadors-bukele-tells-us-conservatives-to-put-up-a-fight/