Rural Colombia welcomes gangs that mete out vigilante justice

Most Latin Americans abhor the scourge of organised crime and support harsh crackdowns. This accounts for the remarkable popularity of Nayib Bukele, El Salvador’s president, who has used mass incarceration and the army to bring what had been one of the world’s highest murder rates down to near that of Canada. But there are pockets of Latin America, particularly in rural areas, where gangs have become popular and act as the de facto state. Some 14% of Latin Americans (80m people) say criminal groups provide order and reduce crime in their communities.