今年39歲、綽號「鴨仔」的賈西亞，比大多數薩爾瓦多的道上兄弟來得長命，幾年下來，他已經看過數百名自己的兄弟命喪敵人之手。

Victor Garcia, alias 'The Duck,' at 39 has survived longer than most gang（1） members in El Salvador, and has seen hundreds of his 'homies' killed by rivals over the years.

薩爾瓦多兩大街頭幫派「街頭18」與「薩爾瓦杜恰」，不停地殺害彼此來報復對方，使得薩爾瓦多深受幫派暴力之害，在去年成為全球最危險的國家，排名僅次於鄰國宏都拉斯。

The relentless tit-for-tat murders between El Salvador's two largest street gangs - "Calle 18" and "Mara Salvatrucha" - made the country the most murderous in the world last year after neighboring Honduras, also ravaged by gang violence.

直至「街頭18」的賈西亞與「薩爾瓦杜恰」的大老攜手合作，宣布史無前例的休戰協議以後，當局表示，4個月內的殺人率降少至一半。

That was until Garcia, from the Calle 18 ("18th Street") gang, along with elders from the Mara Salvatrucha declared an unprecedented truce（2） that authorities say has cut the homicide rate in half in just four months.

賈西亞說：「過去的風風雨雨改變了我們，那些死於衝突的，都是對生命的糟蹋。」

"We've been through things that have changed us. It is a waste of life, those who have died in this conflict," said Garcia.

1980年代，中美移民（不少人是躲避內戰的難民）在美國創立幫派，這些罪犯被遞解回母國後，幫派分子成了跨國性的幫派組織。

Formed in the 1980s in the United States by Central American immigrants, many refugees from the region's civil wars, the gangs or "maras" grew into an international franchise when criminals were deported back home.

他們在過去20年內急速成長，光是薩爾瓦多就有估計6萬4千名的幫派成員。他們到處開枝散葉，據點遍布整個中美洲地區，美國至少有42州有根據地。

They have grown dramatically in the last two decades and El Salvador alone has an estimated 64,000 gang members. Branches operate across Central America and in at least 42 states in the United States.

薩爾瓦多首都郊區的魁札特佩奎，被關在當地監獄的幫派分子，圖攝於6月2日。（圖文／路透）

幫眾從事毒品貿易、經營私娼寮、收取保護費及持械搶劫等。許多幫派成員會蒙蓋臉部，身上威脅性的刺青，證明他們一輩子的承諾。在殘酷的地盤爭奪戰當中，幫派經常將矛頭鎖定敵人的家屬。

The gangs deal drugs, run prostitution rings and protection rackets and carry out armed robberies. Many gang members cover their faces and bodies with menacing tattoos to prove their lifelong commitment. The turf wars are brutal, with gangs often targeting their rivals' family members.

首都外一間戒備深嚴的監獄裡，與敵人同住牢內的幫派領袖們，因厭倦復仇殺人循環，所以決定找人穿針引線達成協議。

Tired of the cycle of revenge killings, gang leaders housed side by side with their enemies in a maximum security prison outside the capital of San Salvador decided to broker a deal.

在雙方都有15名高層的背書之下，「街頭18」的賈西亞與「薩爾瓦杜恰」的烏曼佐（又名El Sirra），找來一名天主教主教及前任左派國會議員來充當調停人。

Garcia from the Calle 18 gang and Aristides Umanzor, aka "El Sirra," from the Mara Salvatrucha - each backed up by 15 of their top lieutenants - sought out a Catholic bishop and a former leftist congressman to serve as mediators.

3月，他們發布一項震驚薩爾瓦多的聯合聲明，宣布停止暴力並要求停止招募新的青少年成員，特別是在貧窮社區及學校附近。

In March, they surprised the country by releasing a joint statement declaring an end to violence and pledging to freeze recruitment of new adolescent members, especially in poor neighborhoods and around schools.

從那時起，出現了重大轉變。達成約定前，1天超過12人被謀殺，如今謀殺率下降至1天5人。今年4月14日，薩爾瓦多打破3年來的紀錄，當天未發生任何一起命案。

Since then, the change has been dramatic. Murder rates are down to around five a day from more than a dozen before the pact. On April 14, El Salvador recorded its first day in three years without a single murder.

正在服28年刑期的賈西亞，目前人被關在魁札特佩奎的一所監獄裡，他表示：「我們沒有解散，我們永遠都是幫派成員。」「只要我們能找到工作、找到重新進入社會的機會，我們會漸漸地不再犯罪。」

"We aren't demobilizing, we'll always be gangsters," Garcia said from a prison in Quezaltepeque where he is serving out a 28-year sentence. "But we are quitting crime little by little as long as we can find jobs and a chance to re-enter society."

左派總統傅內斯堅稱，他的政府沒有跟幫派分子達成任何協議。但協議對外公開不久之後，30名幫派高層領導頭子，從重度戒備的監獄移往其他監獄，在那裡他們將享有親屬探監等權益。

President Mauricio Funes, a leftist, insists his government did not cut any deals with the gangsters. But shortly before the truce was made public, 30 top gang leaders were transferred from maximum-security prisons to others with benefits like family visits.

賈西亞被送往魁札特佩奎，獄犯在那裡享有適度的自由，儘管他必須跟其他15個囚犯擠在原本只供6人住的囚房裡。

Garcia was transferred to Quezaltepeque, where prisoners enjoy some modest freedoms, although he still lives with 15 other men in a cell（3） designed for six.

政府稱讚這次的休戰協議，並試圖透過與業界領袖的合作，提供工作機會及更生計畫給幫派分子，協助這次的休戰協議能獲致更長遠的成功。

The government has lauded the truce and is trying to help its long-term success by working with business leaders to offer work and rehabilitation programs for gang members.

有別於過去幾年中美地區所採行的對抗性「鐵腕」策略，這次可說是政策大轉彎。傅內斯上任前，在保守派的前朝政府治理下，就算青少年沒有犯任何罪，但只要露出幫派刺青，可能就會被逮捕。

It is a policy U-turn from the "iron fist" tactics used against the gangs for years in Central America. Under Funes' conservative predecessor, teenagers could be arrested just for sporting gang tattoos without having committed any crime.

賈西亞說：「這是任意獵捕幫派分子的時節，我們知道如果不馬上做出改變，就永遠不會有改變。」

"It was open hunting season on the gangs. We knew that if we didn't do something soon, this was never going to change," said Garcia.

據薩爾瓦多線上新聞網站《El Faro》的報導，休戰協議是政府與幫派之間達成的交易，前者為了終止暴力，後者則希望換得更好的監獄環境及其他好處。但政府否認這項說法。

El Faro, an online newspaper in El Salvador, reported the truce was the result of a government deal with gangsters to stop the violence in exchange for better prison conditions and other favors, but the government denies that.

除此之外，一如過去數十年來敵對者穿越國境，這項由賈西亞及先前的仇敵所共同締造的和平訊息，希望也能夠開始穿越國境至鄰邦地區。

Still, it hopes that, just as the rivalries crossed borders for decades, the message of peace from Garcia and his former enemies can now seep over to neighboring countries.

薩爾瓦多國防部長蒙吉亞表示：「因為我們看見成效，所以我們想分享自己的經驗。」蒙吉亞最近與瓜地馬拉及宏都拉斯的國防部長聚會，討論該地區的打擊犯罪策略。「我們希望這個能夠在其他地方被複製，但總是會去考量不同國家的特定環境。」

"We want to share our experiences because we are seeing results," said El Salvador's defense minister, David Munguia, who recently met with his counterparts in Guatemala and Honduras to discuss regional crime-fighting strategies. "We would like it to be replicated elsewhere but always considering the specific circumstances in the different countries."

美洲國家組織的領袖在上週造訪薩爾瓦多，與當地幫派成員會面，就整個區域的治安問題向他們取經。

The head of the Organization of American States, or OAS, went to El Salvador last week to meet with gang members and to glean lessons for the rest of the region.

傅內斯曾當過記者，他是來自馬蒂民族解放陣線的首位總統，該政黨是由奉行馬克思主義的游擊隊所組成，曾參與長達12年的內戰，這場內戰導致7萬5千人喪生。

A former journalist, Funes is the first president from the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front, or FMLN, which was founded by Marxist guerrillas who fought in a 12-year-long civil war that killed 75,000 people.

和平協議簽屬於1992年，但幫派戰爭及暴力犯罪很快的就取代了原先的政治暴力。政府表示，近來的休戰協議，只是一部分的解決辦法。

Peace accords were signed in 1992 but the political violence was quickly replaced with an explosion of gang warfare and violent crime, and the government says the recent truce is only part of the solution.

蒙吉亞表示：「幫派仍是犯罪組織，我們會繼續緝捕他們……我們不會指望他們一夕之間就不再去當違法之徒。」

"The gangs are still criminal organizations and we are still pursuing them. ... We don't expect them to stop being delinquents overnight," Munguia said.

其他國家的官員及幫派，對薩爾瓦多的成功是否能向外推廣持懷疑態度。

Officials and gangs in other countries are skeptical the success in El Salvador can spread.

退役將領培瑞斯在1月就任瓜地馬拉總統，他展開運動，誓言取締犯罪。上週，有幫派在首都某區向民眾進行勒索，因此逮捕了40名的幫派分子。

Guatemalan President Otto Perez, a retired general, took office in January on a campaign promise to clamp down on crime and just this week busted 40 gang members for extorting money from people in a neighborhood in the capital city.

幫派展開利潤豐厚的勒索計畫，向當地商家、公車司機、私人住宅收取「戰爭稅」。他們還經常殺害拒繳的民眾。

The groups run lucrative extortion（4） schemes, demanding "war taxes" from local shop owners, bus drivers and private homes. They often kill those who don't pay up.

今年稍早，培瑞斯曾說過，「我們不想要跟那些『幫派分子』展開對話」、「我們呼籲他們停止犯罪，但如果他們已經犯罪，就必須承擔後果」。

"We are not willing to have a dialogue with 'maras'" Perez said earlier this year. "We are calling on them to stop committing crimes, but if they have already committed crimes, they must face the consequences."

宏都拉斯也抱持相當類似的觀點。根據聯合國指出，宏都拉斯是全世界謀殺罪嚴重的國家，每年每10萬人中就會發生87起謀殺。

In Honduras, the deadliest country in the world according to the United Nations with an annual rate of 87 murders per 100,000 people, the sentiment is much the same.

宏都拉斯國防部特別調查小組主任蘇瓦索表示，「我們不能跟他們妥協」、「他們靠毒品交易得到大筆金錢。孩子重裝武備、占奪整塊地盤，向民眾勒索及恐嚇。」

"We cannot negotiate with them," said Hector Suazo, director of Honduras' special investigations unit at the security ministry. "They manage large sums of money thanks to the drug trade. The kids are heavily armed and take over entire areas to extort and terrorize the population."

曾於瓜地馬拉加入「薩爾瓦杜恰」幫、並隸屬於一個叫作「瘋狂者」的地方組織的人士表示，他不相信薩爾瓦多的平靜能持續多久。

One former member of the Mara Salvatrucha in Guatemala, who belonged to a local clique called "the crazies," is not convinced the calm in El Salvador will last.

因殺人而目前被關在牢裡的這位不願具名的人士，在受訪時表示，「道上處處是謊言」、「道上弟兄講歸講，怎麼做是另一回事，他們才不會信守承諾。」

"There are a lot of lies on the street," he said, asking not to be named during an interview at the jail where he is locked up for homicide. "The homies（5） say one thing and do another. They don't keep their word."

（路透Reuters）

幫派的存在，對社會秩序造成嚴重衝擊。暴力猖獗的原因眾多，包括法治不彰、缺乏執法魄力，以及根深蒂固的貧窮問題。但弔詭的是，政府的取締犯罪行為，竟成了暴力滋生的主因。

毒品是另一項動搖中美地區秩序的難題。1990年代，哥倫比亞的販毒組織成為毒品的主要供應者，但當時的毒品交易卻相對單純，生產者付費給販運者，只為確保貨品安全送出。負責販運的家庭與地方網絡，因販運而瓜分部分利益。雖然毒品組織存在，但這些組織會造橋鋪路、興建診所及運動場所，且提供窮人工作機會，因此在檯面下成為秩序的維護者。

1990年代末期，哥倫比亞當局派出大批軍警，以監控國際販毒路線的方式，削弱地方型販毒組織的運毒能力。與此同時，中美洲內戰紛紛告終，但武裝團體解散後，武器流進幫派團體的手中。

哥倫比亞衰退後，取而代之的是墨西哥。墨西哥毒品組織以新方法經營毒品交易。墨灣販毒集團（Gulf Cartel）成立準軍事化幫派「洛斯齊塔斯」（Loz Zetas），由曾經在墨國負責打擊毒品販運的前特種部隊成員來訓練幫派分子。後來，洛斯齊塔與墨灣販毒集團決裂，加深毒品及治安問題的複雜度。

為因應治安惡化，中美洲國家的政府尋求美國援助，以軍事化方式滿足安全需求。瓜地馬拉、薩爾瓦多、宏都拉斯與尼加拉瓜，採行著名的「鐵拳」（Mano Dura）政策，將打擊犯罪的任務，從警方移交給軍隊。巴拿馬與哥斯大黎加則是在美國與歐洲的協助下，加強警方的掃蕩作業。

專注中南美洲組織型犯罪的研究機構InSight指出，鐵拳政策不僅無法減少犯罪的發生，甚至改變了監獄生態、幫派領導及運作模式。以薩爾瓦多為例，幫派的獄犯人數在2004至2008年間，從4千驟升至8千，造成監獄過度負荷，近幾年已有數百名囚犯因監獄暴動而身亡，加深兩大幫派之間的仇恨。後來政府決定，將不同幫派的犯人監禁在不同監獄。諷刺的是，分開監禁加強幫派在監獄裡的組織運作。

監獄裡的頭號幫派分子，不僅在內部建立層級制度，甚至在獄中遙控外界的犯罪行為，如毒品販運、恐嚇勒索及謀殺等。負責打擊勒索案件的薩爾瓦多檢察官就指出，84％的勒索案都是出自監獄裡的策畫。

賈西亞（右）與妻女在魁札特佩奎的監獄裡參加宗教活動，圖攝於6月16日。（圖文／路透）

瓜地馬哈律師、公民媒體平台全球之聲（Global Voices Online）主任艾維拉（Renata Ávila）指出，鐵拳政策不僅沒思考如何協助幫派成員重新回歸社會的問題，在取締幫派分子同時，並沒有為他們失去經濟來源的家屬建立社會保護網。鐵拳政策衍生的排除與恐懼，增加問題的難度。如許多分析家所說，鐵拳政策是用火撲火，導致暴力循環不已。

中美洲製造的毒品，主要是輸往美國，因此中美洲的毒品與治安問題，美方向來扮演重要角色。歐巴馬上台後，美國開始鬆動毒品戰爭的路線，轉而強調警方的角色及司法的改革。然而，美國政府在該議題上，主要合作對象是中美洲整合體系（SICA）與美洲國家組織（OAS）等國際組織，比起民間的協助，緩不濟急的官僚過程，往往口號多過行動。

（綜合外電報導）