Military Review, November - December 2006Violence in Central America has grown
so much in the last half decade that Colombia is
no longer the homicide capital of the region. In fact, it
now ranks fourth in that ignominious distinction behind
El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala.1 The violence is
mostly due to the phenomenon of street gangs, also called
pandillas or gangas, but most often maras. They have
grown in number, sophistication, and stature and have
largely overwhelmed the security forces of Central America’s
fledgling democracies. Altogether, these maras represent
a significant threat to the security of the countries in the region.
Numerous national, binational, multinational, regional, and hemispheric
conferences have sought to address the problem
