Falling crime levels coincide with gang truce in El Salvador

2012-08-21 1

Crime levels in El Salvador have dropped dramatically since two powerful gangs agreed to a truce.

The MS-13 gang and the Barrio 18 gang, formed by Salvadoran immigrants in the US during the 1980s, reached the peace agreement in March.

The country used to have one of the world's highest murder rates. Since the truce, however, figures has dropped by 50 per cent.

Al Jazeera's Anand Naidoo reports from the capital, San Salvador.