Honduras re-extends state of emergency to fight gangs
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Honduras is extending its state of emergency in an uptick against gangs in a bid to eradicate them from the country.
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Police inspect cars at a checkpoint in the neighborhood of Rivera Hernandez in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, December 7, 2022. (AP)
Honduras extended Friday the country's state of emergency, continuing the suspension of some constitutional rights, to combat gang violence in the country.
The third extension of the state of emergency ordered by President Xiomara Castro in response to the activity of numerous significant criminal groups is expected to endure 45 days until May 21.
Because of the state of emergency, officials and police have been authorized to conduct arrests without warrants and detain people in preventative custody.
"This legal measure has made it possible for security authorities to capture more than a hundred members of criminal organizations," the government said in a statement.
Furthermore, the state of emergency allows authorities to temporarily restrict constitutional rights in impacted regions, while lower-income communities have seen enhanced security.
Authorities claim that the gangs have conducted significant extortion operations against companies, transportation drivers, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), deploying violence against enterprises that do not pay protection money.
Gangs such as MS-13 and Barrio 18 are prevalent across Central America, with Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula reporting the greatest levels of gang violence.
Castro ordered to deploy soldiers across the nation to fight violent criminal groups.
New mega-prison opened to house gang members
This comes amid similar steps from El Salvador, as El Salvador President Nayib Bukele deployed in December 10,000 security forces to combat gang violence in a San Salvador suburb.
According to a presidential statement, soldiers and security officers surrounded the town of Soyapango on Saturday to evict gang members.
El Salvador has long been regarded as one of the most violent countries in the world.
The government's efforts culminated in a wide crackdown on gangs, with it opening a new prison to house all the prisoners it ended up apprehending in light of its anti-gang operations.
About 2,000 prisoners from dangerous gangs were transferred to the government's new mega-prison in San Vicente, which has a maximum capacity of 40,000 prisoners.
The jail is subjected to strict security control, where prisoners are never allowed to leave their cells, months after the declaration of war on gangs in the country.
