Honduras orders military intervention after mass killings

May 22 (UPI) -- Honduras has ordered an immediate large-scale military and police deployment across the country's northern and eastern regions after a wave of violence left at least 24 people dead in less than 48 hours, including five anti-gang officers killed near the Guatemalan border.

In a televised address Thursday night, Honduran President Nasry Asfura described the killings as "another wound Honduras does not deserve" and vowed that those responsible would face justice.

He said his administration would confront drug trafficking groups and criminal gangs "without fear, with determination and with force."

The deadliest attack occurred in the rural community of Rigores in the municipality of Trujillo, in the Colón department along Honduras' Caribbean coast. Armed assailants using high-caliber weapons opened fire on a group of people gathered at a local farm.

Public Ministry spokesman Yuri Mora said forensic teams processed two separate crime scenes on the property and confirmed that 19 people had been executed.

Almost simultaneously, violence spread to the border area of Corinto in Cortés department, where five officers from Honduras' Anti-Gang and Organized Crime Police Directorate were killed in an ambush during a counter-narcotics operation at a residence.

After the attack, the Guatemalan government announced an immediate reinforcement of its border security to prevent suspects from escaping into the country.

According to local media reports, including La Prensa and El Heraldo, Honduran security authorities believe the massacre in Colón may be linked to land disputes and the theft of African palm crops, a legal agricultural industry that organized crime groups allegedly use for money laundering operations.

Intelligence agencies are also investigating the possible presence in northern Honduras of cells linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, commonly known as CJNG, operating alongside local gangs.

More than 200 members of Honduras' Military Police for Public Order and armed forces were deployed to critical areas under the coordination of the Ministry of National Defense.

Authorities also activated a unified "Crisis Command" to conduct simultaneous raids, checkpoints and large-scale security cordons in high-risk neighborhoods.

The violence erupted three days after Honduras' National Congress unanimously approved a sweeping package of criminal law reforms aimed at intensifying the fight against gangs, known locally as maras.

The legislation classifies gangs as "terrorist organizations," increases prison sentences for extortion to between 15 and 20 years and establishes life imprisonment when crimes result in death.

The reforms also sharply limit plea agreements and other procedural benefits for defendants accused of organized crime offenses.

Despite broad political support for the crackdown, civil society organizations and human rights advocates have raised concerns over the reforms.

Independent rights groups told local outlets, including Radio Progreso and Criterio, that the definition of "terrorism" in the legislation is overly broad and could be used to criminalize social protests and peasant movements involved in land disputes.

Advocates also warned about potential violations of due process protections and further strain on Honduras' overcrowded prison system.

Beyond the security operations and legal debate, experts say the violence is deepening a humanitarian crisis in rural Honduras.

Honduras continues to rank among the countries with the highest homicide rates in Latin America. In departments such as Colón, persistent violence has triggered large-scale forced displacement.

Organized crime groups frequently use death threats and violence to seize farmland from small producers, forcing families to abandon their homes and crops within hours to survive.

Many displaced residents later move to impoverished urban neighborhoods or attempt dangerous migration routes toward North America.

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This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 12:21 PM.