Violence in Guatemala and El Salvador is down

Prensa Libre

According to Mauricio Ramirez Landaverde, the Deputy Director of the National Civilian Police (PNC) , murders were again down during the first two weeks of May in El Salvador. Homicides are down 16% compared to this point last year. January and February were pretty deadly but if the truce continues to hold for the remainder of the year, the decrease in homicides will obviously surpass 16% (ContraPunto). David Munguia Payes also stated that reported cases of extortion were down 60% during the first two weeks of May.

Two months of reduced violence is good news, but it's still just two months.

And in Guatemala, homicides continue their downward trend. President Otto Perez Molina claims that homicides are down 18% so far this year but we know he frequently lied about homicide statistics while he was on the campaign trail last year. Prensa Libre and the Guatemalan PNC have the decline at 2.15%. 

Not bad.