Honduras - June 2023

A riot and fire started after clashes between rival gangs in a women’s prison resulted in at least 46 deaths. Less than a week later, 13 people were killed in a deadly shooting in the city of Choloma, believed to be linked to gang violence as well. According to a police commissioner, the killings in Choloma could be reprisals related to the prison deaths. President Xiomara Castro has ordered an inquiry into the circumstances of the prison riot, as many women deprived of their liberty allegedly had access to weapons, as well as an investigation into the shooting in the city of Choloma. According to a police, there are allegations that these two events are possibility connected. A local curfew in Choloma and San Pedro Sula was implemented during two weeks in response to the shooting, which President Castro characterised as a “terrorist attack” ordered by drug gangs. 

Sources: El Mundo, British Broadcasting Corporation, El Pais, Associated Press