Sombra Negra
Encyclopedia
The Sombra Negra are death squad
groups based in El Salvador
comprising mostly police
and military personnel
who target criminals and gang
members for vigilante justice
. Recent years have also seen increasing accusations of continuing death squad activity targeting the Salvadoran political opposition and members of the political and social left. These vigilante groups are based in El Salvador
and are not under the official jurisdiction of the Salvadoran government, which can be easily confused
.
The name first appeared around December 1994 in the Department of San Miguel
. In April 1995, the group stated that it had killed 17 people, claiming that the dead were criminals or members of gangs. http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/QASLV99-001.pdf
Sombra Negra members typically blindfolded and tied the hands and/or thumbs of their victims behind their backs. Later, the victims received bullets to the back of their heads from close-range assault rifles and submachine guns. The Sombra Negra operatives would conceal their faces and use unlicensed vehicles with darkened windows when they carried out their missions. Sombra Negra stated that it killed people because the group believed that the police could not enforce laws of El Salvador. http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/QASLV99-001.pdf
" (MS-13) http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/QASLV99-001.pdf. MS-13 members are known for covering their bodies and faces with tattoos. They also target their rivals the 18th Street Gang
.
Death squad
A death squad is an armed military, police, insurgent, or terrorist squad that conducts extrajudicial killings, assassinations, and forced disappearances of persons as part of a war, insurgency or terror campaign...
groups based in El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
comprising mostly police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
and military personnel
Military personnel
Military personnel is a blanket term used to refer to members of any armed force. Usually, military personnel are divided into branches of service roughly defined by certain circumstances of the deployment of the personnel. Those who serve in a typical large land force are soldiers, making up an...
who target criminals and gang
Gang
A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...
members for vigilante justice
Frontier Justice
Frontier justice is extrajudicial punishment that is motivated by the nonexistence of law and order or dissatisfaction with justice. The phrase can also be used to describe a prejudiced judge...
. Recent years have also seen increasing accusations of continuing death squad activity targeting the Salvadoran political opposition and members of the political and social left. These vigilante groups are based in El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
and are not under the official jurisdiction of the Salvadoran government, which can be easily confused
Politics of El Salvador
Politics of El Salvador takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of El Salvador is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in...
.
The name first appeared around December 1994 in the Department of San Miguel
San Miguel Department (El Salvador)
San Miguel is a department of El Salvador in the eastern part of the country. The capital is San Miguel. It has 2,077 km² and a population of over 450,000...
. In April 1995, the group stated that it had killed 17 people, claiming that the dead were criminals or members of gangs. http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/QASLV99-001.pdf
Sombra Negra members typically blindfolded and tied the hands and/or thumbs of their victims behind their backs. Later, the victims received bullets to the back of their heads from close-range assault rifles and submachine guns. The Sombra Negra operatives would conceal their faces and use unlicensed vehicles with darkened windows when they carried out their missions. Sombra Negra stated that it killed people because the group believed that the police could not enforce laws of El Salvador. http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/QASLV99-001.pdf
Targeting Mara Salvatrucha and 18th Street Gang
Sombra Negra is well known for its specialty in pursuing and executing members of notorious El Salvador-based criminal organizations referred to as "Mara SalvatruchaMara Salvatrucha
Mara Salvatrucha is a transnational criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles and has spread to other parts of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America. The majority of the gang is ethnically composed of Central Americans and active in urban and suburban areas...
" (MS-13) http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/QASLV99-001.pdf. MS-13 members are known for covering their bodies and faces with tattoos. They also target their rivals the 18th Street Gang
18th Street gang
18th Street gang is considered to be the largest transnational criminal gang in Los Angeles, California. It is estimated that there are thousands of members in Los Angeles County alone...
.