Honduran Authorities Launch El Salvador-Style Crackdown Following Pool Hall Shooting
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Salma Hossein
- . June 28, 2023
- . Update: June 28, 2023 9:09 pm
After an attack on a pool hall on Saturday that left 11 people dead, authorities in neighbouring Honduras have launched a crackdown akin to those carried out in El Salvador. Concerns have been raised about the incident’s potential connection to the previous gang-related slaughter of 46 female inmates, which was the most horrific act of violence ever seen in a women’s prison in Honduras. The Honduran government has responded by promising to stop gang violence by enforcing curfews and taking strict measures.
Pool Hall Shooting: A Potential Act of Revenge
The Honduran police have been looking into the likelihood that the shooting at the pool hall is retaliation for the killing of female prisoners in Tamara, a town northeast of the capital. The horrific event took place in Choloma, a town in the Cortés province and a notorious stronghold of the Barrio 18 gang. This makes it a plausible candidate for reprisal assaults on members of competing gangs. Authorities are also looking into the likelihood that the shooting was a gang member’s retaliation against a civilian.
The Role of the Military Police and Seizure of Contraband
The Honduran government has given control of the nation’s jails to the military police to combat gang violence. In Tamara, the same city where the massacre at the women’s prison occurred, the military police recently raided to recover contraband in a men’s prison. The military police found weapons, ammo, and grenades during the operation. The raid’s techniques, which included forcing prisoners to sit in rows with their heads bowed on the backs of those in front of them, were made well-known by the vigorous anti-gang campaign of El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele. Although these strategies have been successful in undermining organised crime, they have also sparked worries about potential human rights abuses.
Government Response and Security Measures
Xiomara Castro, the president of Honduras, has acted decisively to confront the issue of gang violence and reestablish security. She has additionally mandated that new guards be trained within a year in addition to handing jail administration over to the military police. The President has enacted curfews and security measures like regular raids, arrests, and checkpoints to combat the rising violence in Choloma. A similar curfew will be imposed in the neighbouring city of San Pedro Sula beginning on July 4th. The curfew in Choloma is scheduled to start at 9 pm and end at 4 am.
Several people were killed in a recent shooting at a pool hall in Honduras, which spurred the government to enact identical laws to those in neighbouring El Salvador. Investigations into the incident centre on whether it was a possible act of retaliation for the most recent gang-related slaughter at a women’s prison. President Xiomara Castro’s administration in Honduras has acted quickly to implement curfews, tighten security, and deploy military police to monitor the nation’s jails. Although these actions are intended to stop gang violence and restore order, concerns about how they might affect human rights have been expressed. For Honduras to reduce violence and guarantee the protection of its inhabitants, continual efforts are essential.
