Background slide

In Latin America, governments have sometimes pursued the strategy of making truces with cartels, where cartels typically agree to ceasefires in exchange for certain benefits from the government (these conditions range widely across truces, but can look like committments to stop militarization against cartels, funding to transition into social organizations, etc.). Truces are not to be confused with bribery. Sometimes, religious leaders help negotiate truces between governments and cartels. For example, from 2012–2014, some members of the Catholic Church were involved in a truce between the Salvadoran government, MS-13, and Barrio 18.