The first US Peace Corps volunteers return to El Salvador since leaving in 2016 because of violence

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — The first U.S. Peace Corps volunteers returned to El Salvador since the American force left in 2016 because of violence in the Central American country. It was the latest sign of the warming of U.S. relations with El Salvador, whose President Nayib Bukele was once shunned because of his harsh crackdown on street gangs. It was also a sign of how much Bukele’s widespread arrests of suspected gang members _ along with a lot of innocent young men _ has reduced the country’s once-fearsome homicide rate. The Peace Corps said Friday the nine would work on community economic development, education, and youth initiatives.