Prosecutor fears El Salvador gangs "breaking" crime pledge

One of El Salvador's regional prosecutors voiced concern on 26 June that the main street gangs might not be respecting the ceasefire they began in 2012, judging by rising crime figures for June and specifically a surge in crime in the prosecutor's own department, Chalatenango north of the capital San Salvador. State prosecutor René Peña was speaking to the press following a police operation that caught 19 members of streets gangs sought in relation with several murders, the website elsalvador.com reported. He said he could neither confirm nor dismiss the suspicion that the national ceasefire between gangs, which officials say have roughly halved murder rates since March 2012, was broken. The ceasefire seemed to have generated more enthusiasm in the executive branch, led by President Mauricio Funes, than among prosecutors. Mr Peña said he could affirm that the daily murder rate in his department had risen from "one or two" to eight. The website reported 23 June to be so far the most violent day in El Salvador in 2013, with 14 homicides.