Gang violence kills at least 25 in Honduras

Gunmen carried out attacks across Honduras, killing at least 25 people, including six police officers. Nineteen people died when gunmen raided a palm plantation in Trujillo in the north, with reports that victims were labourers and employees of an armed group controlling the plantation. In Omoa near the Guatemalan border, six police officers were killed after travelling to quash gang activity and being ambushed. The National Police said it would intervene directly in affected areas, capture those responsible, protect vulnerable communities, and ensure comprehensive justice. Honduras continues to struggle against gang violence, following the end of a state of emergency launched in 2022 under President Nasry Tito Asfura’s hardline security approach.

"Gunmen have killed at least 25 people, including six police officers, in attacks across Honduras. The attacks marked Thursday as one of the most violent days the country has seen in recent years. They came despite ongoing efforts by the government to rein in organised crime and violence."

"Nineteen people were killed as gunmen raided a palm plantation in the municipality of Trujillo in the north of the country. A leader of one rural group told the AFP news agency that those killed were employees of an armed group controlling a plantation. However, local media indicated that armed suspects had fired indiscriminately on labourers. They reported that the oldest victim was 61. Photos showed bodies, some wearing thick rubber boots for work, strewn on the ground outside."

"Meanwhile, in the west near the Guatemalan border, six police officers were killed in another shooting in the municipality of Omoa. Police report that the officers had travelled to the area as part of an operation to quash gang activity. However, they were ambushed. After the two attacks, the National Police issued a statement, saying it will proceed immediately with a direct intervention in the affected areas. The state will act firmly to capture those responsible, protect vulnerable communities and guarantee comprehensive justice for all affected victims, it added."

"Honduras is struggling to crack down on gang violence. Until January, many parts of the country were under a state of emergency launched in 2022. That emergency decree ended, however, with the inauguration of right-wing President Nasry Tito Asfura, a close ally of United States President Donald Trump, who has prioritised a hardline approach to security in Latin America. The attacks will, therefore, raise concerns over security, but also civil liberties."

Read at www.aljazeera.com