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By Carlos Barrera, for El Faro, NPR, awarded in the #WPPh2025 Contest: worldpressphoto.org/collection/photo-contest/2025/Carlos-Barrera/25

Support Central America Monthly: If you find value in this exercise in seeking sharper journalistic answers to key questions in our region, become a crowdfunder today. On the 15th of every month, we promise to keep bringing you uncomfortable truths. support.elfaro.net

The Tertulia: Expert on authoritarianism Ruth Ben-Ghiat's study of the political strategies and impact of the most prominent authoritarians, as diverse as Mussolini, Gaddafi, Putin, and Pinochet, identifies common threads and strategies to combat them. beta.elfaro.net/en/the-tertu...

By Invitation: A foreign tsunami is arriving in the form of investments new settlers on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, reports Álvaro Murillo. At the epicenter of this trend, a town called Nosara, there are ten swimming pools for every social welfare home. beta.elfaro.net/en/by-invita...

Essay: This is an intimate story of a man condemned to die in pain amid the precariousness of El Salvador’s public health system, where healing depends on the patient’s economic capacity, writes deputy editor Sergio Arauz. This is the story of my father's death. beta.elfaro.net/en/spotlight...

El Faro Editorial Board: When the interests of authoritarians conflict with the public interest, theirs always prevail. The Salvadoran government made two agreements that clash head-on; the latter is a deal to save a criminal: Nayib Bukele. beta.elfaro.net/en/el-faro-w...

Central American Lens: Gangs kept Salvadorans on their knees for more than two and a half decades. This phenomenon gripped a country reeling from mass deportations in the 1990s, taking root in the most precarious and forgotten communities. beta.elfaro.net/en/central-a...

The Case File: One died, eight remain in the U.S., and 18 are purportedly imprisoned in Bukele’s jails, writes MS-13 investigator Carlos García. The case files of these veteran leaders of MS-13 show abundant evidence of their secret agreements with Bukele for years. beta.elfaro.net/en/case-file...

The Case File: As leaders of MS-13, the most murderous gang in post-war El Salvador, face charges in New York as leaders of a terrorist organization, Trump and Bukele turned them into political pawns for “geopolitical reasons,” writes editor-in-chief Óscar Martínez. beta.elfaro.net/en/a-region-...

From 2021: Congressman Óscar Nájera admits Honduras is a narcostate. He spent three decades representing a province along the cocaine corridor. But his career reached its end last month, writes director @carlosdada.bsky.social. The Cacique of Colón lost his immunity. beta.elfaro.net/en/from-the-...

Podcast: Under three months until election day in Honduras, lawfare and institutional capture threaten credibility, campaign auditors have no budget, candidates have been assassinated, and parties are already dabbling in accusations of fraud. beta.elfaro.net/en/case-file...

Interview: Honduran journalist Óscar Estrada suspects the elections are being soiled with narco-donations to all parties. “The conditions before 2021 have not changed,” he reasons, adding that US courtrooms have left cartel operations mostly unscathed. beta.elfaro.net/en/spotlight...

Letter from the Editor: It can be said about El Salvador like it can be said about Honduras: There is evidence that all three political machines of the last three decades partnered with organized crime for their political benefit, writes @romangressier.com. beta.elfaro.net/en/letter-fr...