18 killed, 16 injured in Honduras prison after gang fight
December 21, 2019
The government of Honduras has recently declared a state of emergency in its prisons due to violence between rival gangs. The military and police are set to take control from often corrupt civilian officials.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/O. Sierra
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At least 18 people were killed and 16 injured in a brawl between rival gangs inside a prison in Honduras, authorities said late on Friday. The riot, one of the worst outbreaks of prison violence in the country, came just two days after the government had to declare a state of emergency in the prison system over the heavy increase in fighting.
The state of emergency means that civilian employees and security have been suspended for at least six months, transferring their duties to the country's security services. However, a military official told the Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity that a transfer of power had yet to take place at the prison in the northern port city of Tela.
Honduran authorities hope that police and military control of the prisons will not only clamp down on violence, but help root out the rampant corruption known to flourish amongst civilian prison wardens and guards.
Gang violence rampant
Gang violence is a major problem in Honduras. Many young men belong to the two major rival gangs, Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha. Members of the community who live in a gang's territory are expected to pay "war taxes" for "protection," and any perceived act of disobedience or disloyalty to the gang is often punished by murder.
Although homicide rates have dropped slightly since 2012, when Honduras had the highest murder rate of any country not technically at war, there is still a sense that gangs can kill with impunity as only 4% of murders in the country end in conviction.
Criminal gangs pose an existential threat to state and society in Honduras. For many, the only option is to flee.
Image: Reuters/E. Garrido
One of most violent countries in the world
Honduras has one of the highest homicide rates in the world. In 2011-2012, there were 86 homicides per 100,000 people. That amounted to 7,172 murders a year in a country of some 9 million people. In 2018, the homicide rate fell to 40 per 100,000 people, according to government statistics. In comparison, in 2015 there were some 5,000 homicides in the EU, where the population is 500 million.
Image: Reuters/E. Garrido
Gang-fueled violence
There are as many as 40,000 gang members in Honduras. Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio-18 (members pictured here) are the two main criminal groups engaging in turf wars over drug and human trafficking, extortion and other criminal enterprises.
Image: Reuters/E. Garrido
Pushing people out
The wave of violence, gang control and erosion of state authority has pushed tens of thousands of people out of neighborhoods where funeral processions are all too common. Many families fear that their children will be recruited into gangs as early as the age of 11. Many of those who can will often try to make the dangerous and hard journey through Mexico to the United States.
Image: Reuters/E. Garrido
Existential threat
Gang-fueled violence and criminality have torn apart Honduran society and the authority of the state. According to a report by the US National Defense University, MS-13 has become a "criminal-economic-military-political power that poses an existential threat" to the state of Honduras. The group has infilrated key state institutions, including the police, military, judiciary and political system.
Image: Reuters/E. Garrido
Police patrols
In Honduras, MS-13 has been known to corrupt and infiltrate local police. The group has expanded with the aid of police forces who have reportedly targeted and cleared neighborhoods controlled by rival groups. Police and security forces sacked for corruption are said to join gangs or train gang members.
Image: Reuters/E. Garrido
No justice
The corrupt and dysfunctional criminal system fuels more violence. Around 80 percent of homicides are not investigated and 96 percent are not adjudicated.
Image: Reuters/E. Garrido
Fleeing north
Thousands of Hondurans have tried to make the hard journey north. Many are innocent civilians seeking a better and safer life. However, US authorities say some gang members are trying to infiltrate the United States. At the same time, an influx of gang members being deported from the United States is strengthening gang numbers in Honduras as they are incorporated into structures there.
