Maras (gang)

The Maras (or marabuntas ) are armed gangs originating in the countries of Central America like the El Salvador, the Honduras or the Guatemala. The Maras are particularly active in the United States (mainly in California, with Washington DC) and in Central America. These gangs were formed in the years 1980 by clandestine immigrants coming from Salavador, Honduras or from Guatemala which fled of the difficult living conditions (economic and social exclusion strong) even dangeureuses (civil wars). Initially founded in the United States, will maras them, in the second time, were established in their countries of origin, in particular following massive expulsions of the United States. In Central America, they grew on a fertile compost: poverty and a recent past of armed conflicts.

The word will mara comes from the Spanish slang of Central America for gang. In English, the word evolved/moved of " group amis" with a " group criminels". It is also a poisonous ant in Central America.

Activities

Primarily composed of teenagers, they are specialized in the drug trafficking, the racket, burgling and the prostitution. The members of almost all the will maras relative of imposing Tatouage S for better recognizing itself, which consequently facilitates occasion their location by a rival gang or the authorities. ¨La emptied por tired maras¨ or the life for the gang is a sentence usually pronounced by these groups. The assassination of innocent victims forms integral part of their initiation. Recently, it seems that will maras them are in the process of professionalisation, the chiefs of gang trying to make profitable their profits.

Competitions and repression

The will maras most known are the the MS-13 or Mara Salvatrucha (of Salvadorian origin), by far most powerful and most spread, and the 18 street (of the name of the 18th street of Los Angeles).

The governments of the countries of Central America concerned made fight against these gangs a priority of their Security policy. In April 2006, the Guatemalan president Óscar Berger announces that it deploys all the army against the will maras . These military measurements are accompanied by sedentary laws, like the plan “Mano Dura” in El Salvador.

In 2005, the will maras , according to official estimates, would count 80000 members in Central America and would have caused 5000 assassinations, of which majority between gangs.

The American Néoconservateur S claimed, without proof, that the will maras had maintained the bonds with Al-Qaida.

Controversies concerning Maras in Central America

the repression organized by the States is extremely expensive and contributed to develop a significant market of private protection.
the representation sensationnalist of Maras in the media, on the one hand exacerbates the tensions between gangs and the desire of the “mareros” for making speak about them, and on the other hand diabolise these gangs with the eyes of the population. This feeds the escalation of violence then in which the authorities take part.

References

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