Gang violence kills at least 25 in Honduras

The attacks by gunmen come as the government continues a drive to crack down on organised crime.Gunmen have killed at least 25 people, including six police officers, in attacks across Honduras.The attacks marked Thursday as one of the most violent days the country has seen in recent years. They came despite ongoing efforts by the government to rein in organised crime and violence.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Press freedom declines in Americas, with US seeing sharpest drop: Reportlist 2 of 3Who Is Nayib Bukele? El Salvador’s ‘coolest dictator’list 3 of 3Honduras mayor arrested for masterminding environmentalist’s killingend of listNineteen people were killed as gunmen raided a palm plantation in the municipality of Trujillo in the north of the country.A leader of one rural group told the AFP news agency that those killed were employees of an armed group controlling a plantation.However, local media indicated that armed suspects had fired indiscriminately on labourers. They reported that the oldest victim was 61.Photos showed bodies, some wearing thick rubber boots for work, strewn on the ground outside.Meanwhile, in the west near the Guatemalan border, six police officers were killed in another shooting in the municipality of Omoa.Police report that the officers had travelled to the area as part of an operation to quash gang activity. However, they were ambushed.After the two attacks, the National Police issued a statement, saying it “will proceed immediately with a direct intervention in the affected areas”.“The state will act firmly to capture those responsible, protect vulnerable communities and guarantee comprehensive justice for all affected victims,” it added.Gang violenceHonduras is struggling to crack down on gang violence. Until January, many parts of the country were under a state of emergency launched in 2022.