VOA常速英语2014--Criminal Gangs in El Salvador Return to War Path After Two-Year Truce 两年休战后萨尔瓦多再次陷入混乱（在线收听）

Criminal Gangs in El Salvador Return to War Path After Two-Year Truce 两年休战后萨尔瓦多再次陷入混乱

WASHINGTON — Two years ago, two of the most violent gangs in El Salvador -- Mara Salvatrucha 13 and Barrio 18 -- signed a truce. But as fighting between the two criminal groups has been on the rise in recent months, so has the death toll.  Fears are starting to grow of a renewed gang war in one of Latin America's most dangerous countries.

华盛顿 — 两年前，萨尔瓦多两个最暴力的团伙——“Mara Salvatrucha 13”和“Barrio 18”签订停火协议。然而，这两个犯罪集团间的争斗最近几个月不断增加，死亡人数也不断升高。人们担心在拉丁美洲这个最危险的国家里将兴起新一轮的黑帮战火。

Majucla is one of the poorest and also one of the most violent communities in El Salvador. Located just north of the capital, San Salvador, Majucla is controlled by the infamous gang known as Mara Salvatrucha, or MS13. Shootings are frequent in the dirt road neighborhood, and no one is safe.

马卡拉是萨尔瓦多最贫穷和最暴力的社区之一。马卡拉位于首都圣萨尔瓦多北部，被臭名昭著的救世鳟鱼、也称马拉13团伙所控制。街道上时常听到枪声，没有人是安全的。 

The owner of a local bus line, Rigoberto Hernandez, said businesses have to pay to be spared.

埃尔南德斯经营着一家公车公司。他说，这里的商家为了免遭袭击，都得交“保护费”。

“It’s very dangerous because we have to work from 4:00 AM, and if somebody doesn’t like you, they can kill you at that time. As we say here, you have to pay to survive,” said Hernandez.

埃尔南德斯说：“这里非常危险。因为我们必须从清晨4点开始工作。如果有人看你不顺眼，他们可以随时杀死你。所以我们这儿的人都说，你要活命就得花钱。”

During the mid-1990s, fighting between Mara Salvatrucha and the rival Barrio 18 gang often killed up to 16 people a day. Between 2003 and 2009, hardline governments filled El Salvador's prisons with gang members without any impact on violent crime. Then, in March 2012, a left-wing government secretly negotiated a peace deal between the two groups, and the city's murder rate was almost cut in half. 

上世纪90年代中，救世鳟鱼与竞争对手巴里奥13之间的火拼常常每天造成16人死亡。2003年到2009年间，强硬派政府把许多帮派成员关进监狱，但是这对减少暴力犯罪却收效甚微。2012年3月，一个左翼政府秘密地推动两个团伙达成了一项和平协议，之后这座城市的谋杀率降低了将近一半。

The gangs created violence-free sanctuaries and rehabilitation centers, like bakeries, where former gang members could find jobs.

这些帮派建立了一些无暴力中心和活动中心，比如这间面包店，让前帮派成员能找份工作。

However, police now say that since January, the murder rate has increased, reaching as many as nine homicides per day.

但是警察说，今年1月以来，凶杀案发生率不断升高，已经达到最多每天9起。

Police inspector Perez-Reyes would not confirm that the government had a role in the truce, but said it appears the gangs are back at war.

警务督察佩雷斯 - 雷耶斯不承认政府在和平协议中扮演了某种角色，但是他说，看起来黑帮间又开始交火了。

“We have nothing to do with the truce. Apparently it’s an agreement between the gangs. But given the rise in homicides, we think the truce is over,” said Perez-Reyes.

雷耶斯说：“我们和那个和平协议毫无关系。显然那是帮派间的协定。现在凶杀案数量增加，我们想停战协议已经结束了。”

Residents in the capital said that even when the murder rate was down, racketeering and other crimes continued. Bus drivers still have to pay gangs a so-called “protection tax”, or renta.

首都的居民们说，即便在凶杀率低的时候，敲诈勒索和其他犯罪仍然在继续。司机们仍然需要向帮派支付所谓的“保护税”，或者“租金”。

Adam Blackwell, security chief for the Organization of American States, said a temporary truce is not enough to permanently rid El Salvador and other Latin American countries of the scourge of gang crime. 

美洲国家组织安全主任布莱克威尔说，临时性的协议不足以把萨尔瓦多和其他拉美国家从黑帮犯罪的灾难中永远解救出来。

“What happened was a truce. A truce is when at a moment in time there is a cease-fire between fighters in a war. What follows is peace and peace is always more complicated and always takes more time. That’s what we are trying to build,” said Blackwell.

布莱克威尔说：“当时的情况是达成了一个和平协议。和平协议就是在一段时间内交战双方停火。接下来的是和平。和平总是很复杂，而且需要更长的时间。我们现在要做的就是实现和平。”

Analysts said gang members need an alternative to street life, and rehabilitation programs can be complex and costly.

分析人士说，帮派成员需要有街头打斗之外的其他选择，然而，重返正常生活计划很复杂且耗资不菲。

Hopes are high that the incoming government of leftist President-elect Salvador Sanchez Ceren will be able to curb gang violence and start building such programs.  He takes office in June.

人们寄予厚望的是即将于6月上任的左翼总统桑切斯·塞伦的新政府能够遏制黑帮犯罪，开始建立这类项目。