At least 19 killed in Honduras palm plantation massacre
The mass shooting came as the military prepares a sweeping domestic crackdown on drug cartels and gangs
At least 19 people were killed at a palm plantation in northern Honduras, authorities said Thursday, as the Central American nation prepares for a resurgent wave of anti-gang militarisation.
The killings took place the previous night in Rigores, in the restive Bajo Aguan region, where rival gangs have fought over control of palm plantations and drug trafficking routes.
The attack came shortly after the national legislature approved a series of reforms to confront criminal violence in Honduras, where the homicide rate is 24 killings for every 100,000 inhabitants.
The new measures authorise the military to participate in public security tasks and create a new anti-organised crime unit. It also opens the possibility of categorising gangs and drug cartels as terrorist groups.
Honduras’ new conservative President Nasry Asfura has vowed to work with US President Donald Trump in his initiative to crack down on organised crime in Latin America.
In a separate incident on Thursday, near the border with Guatemala, four officers and a civilian died after a shoot-out broke out when an elite anti-gang squad attempted to enter a home belonging to supposed narcotraffickers.