Development: On 17 August El Salvador’s attorney general’s office (FGR) reported that there had been 28 violent homicides across the country the previous day, with 11 people killed in shootouts between the security forces and the members of different local street gangs (maras). Significance: The alarming level of homicides registered on Sunday serve as the latest evidence that El Salvador is entering into a worrying period of violence as the maras intensify their activities following last year’s breakdown of the ‘truce’ that they had observed since 2012 and the ensuing crackdown launched by the local security forces. This is a…