The Honduran government has decreed, as of Tuesday night, a state of emergency that will last for at least the next 30 days in an attempt to contain high crime rates, especially in the cities of Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula.
Authorities have focused on some of the most troubled neighborhoods in the two main Honduran cities, where gangs have been stepping up their criminal activities, such as robberies and extortion.
Hundreds of police have since been carrying out searches and arrests in some of these areas controlled by the Mara-18 and Mara Salvatrucha gangs, the main targets of this operation, according to the director of the Honduran National Police, Gustavo Sanchez.
On Thursday last week, Honduran President Xiomara Castro announced the implementation of a state of emergency that would last until at least January 6 due to the “national emergency” the country was facing due to rising crime.