Hurtado said that in the first two weeks of March alone, at least 208 people were killed, 164 injured and 101 kidnapped in gang clashes.
“Most of the victims were killed or wounded by snipers, who were reportedly shooting randomly at people’s homes or on the streets,” he added.
Students and teachers have been killed by stray bullets, and there has been an increase in kidnappings of parents and students in areas around schools, forcing many to close schools.
Hurtado said, without a protective school environment, “many children are forcibly recruited by armed gangs”.