At least 25 people, including six police officers, were killed in gun attacks in Honduras, marking one of the bloodiest days in the Central American nation in recent years.
The violence occurred despite the government's continuous efforts to curb organized crime and violence.
The first massacre took place at an oil palm plantation in the northern municipality of Trujillo, leaving 19 dead. A local peasant leader said the victims were employees of an armed group controlling the plantation. However, local media reported that the suspects indiscriminately fired at workers, with the oldest victim aged 61. Images from the scene showed bodies, some still wearing rubber work boots, lying on the ground.
The same day, in the western municipality of Omoa, near the Guatemalan border, six police officers were killed in a separate attack. Police said the officers had arrived in the area to carry out a crackdown on gang activity but were ambushed.
Following the two attacks, the Honduran National Police issued a statement saying they would "immediately carry out a direct intervention in the affected areas." The statement emphasized: "The state will act decisively to arrest those responsible, protect vulnerable communities, and ensure comprehensive justice for all victims."
Honduras is struggling to suppress gang violence. Until January this year, many parts of the country remained under a state of emergency declared in 2022. The security crisis comes as right-wing President Nasry "Tito" Asfura, a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, recently took office with a priority on a hardline approach to security in Latin America. Laws passed earlier this week allow the government to designate gangs and drug cartels as terrorist organizations and establish a new anti-organized crime unit.
The shooting in Trujillo occurred near the Aguan River Valley, where armed groups linked to drug trafficking and palm oil extraction have fought over land for decades. Trujillo Police Chief Carlos Rojas said these groups illegally occupy and exploit large oil palm plantations, using proceeds from the crops to buy weapons. However, local peasant groups accuse transnational agricultural corporations of funding criminal gangs to carry out land grabs and prevent people from reclaiming disputed land.
According to Reuters, more than 150 people in the region have been killed or gone missing, with environmental and land activists especially targeted. Honduras is one of the world's most dangerous countries for such activists. Earlier this month, police arrested several people, including a mayor, for plotting to assassinate a prominent environmental activist in 2024.
