Two of El Salvador’s biggest gangs that have had a truce dating back to March of last year seems to be coming to an end. The surge in killings has drastically increased with 103 homicides being recorded just last week alone, the El Salvadorian government announced last Friday. The murders that have been springing up in such a torrid pace are thought to be the work of Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and rival gang Barrio 18. Both gangs have ties to the United States due to both having been established in Salvadorian immigrant communities in LA. Many of these gang members were later deported back to El Salvador where they would take what they learned on the streets of LA and apply it to a country torn by civil war.

With the formation of gangs in El Salvador, a lot of activity that comes with gangs began to drastically affect the country, most notably by an increase in murders. Because of the huge number of killings, the only solution that was thought of was for MS-13 and Barrio 18 to proclaim a truce in hopes of solving the homicide problem. This truce was backed by the Catholic Church and the Organization of American States in hopes of lowering homicide rates. The truce “brought murders down to 5 per day from 12 before the agreement.” However, the murder rate has been rising as of late with the average being 16 per day beginning in July. With these numbers, it appears that the truce might be over, and the people of El Salvador are going to be in store for a lot of violence. The El Salvadorian government needs to think of a better way to handle this issue more than just simply relying on other organizations to come up with a solution.

The photos below were taken by award-winning photojournalist Moises Saman. He has been all over the world capturing photos of hot spots like Afghanistan and Haiti. These were taken to showcase the gang problem in El Salvador and show others who MS-13 and Barrio 18 are. The entire series of photos documents the gangs in prison and on the streets of El Salvador, as well as the work the police are doing to combat the issue. To view the entire set of photos check it out here.

Photos by Moises Saman [Via Yahoo]