The president of Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz Pereira, requested support from Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele to address the crisis in the Bolivian prison system, marked by overcrowding, lack of infrastructure, and constant violence among inmates. The vice president of El Salvador, Félix Ulloa, confirmed that his country "will extend a helping hand" to the new Bolivian government in matters of security and prison management.
"We are ready to support President Rodrigo Paz in this new era, with a relationship of friendship, collaboration, and mutual support," Ulloa stated to El Deber during his visit to La Paz for the presidential inauguration. According to Paz, both leaders held a phone conversation last week in which the Bolivian president asked Bukele for "help with the prisons, because we are going to need many here."
The Bolivian president appreciated the candor and direct style of the Salvadoran president, whose prison policy—focused on building mega-prisons and implementing a state of exception since 2022—has attracted interest in several countries in the region. Despite criticism from international organizations, Bukele's government claims to have drastically reduced homicides and weakened gangs.
