Gunmen Kill 16 in 2 Honduras Attacks, Hitting Farm Workers and Police

14 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · May 22

At least 16 people were killed Thursday in two separate shootings in northern Honduras—10 palm farm workers in Rigores, Trujillo, and six anti-gang officers in Omoa near the Guatemala border.
Police said gunmen opened fire on labourers at a remote palm farm, with local media reporting indiscriminate shooting around a church gathering; authorities warned the death toll could rise after families removed bodies before investigators secured the scene.
In Omoa, officers from the Anti-Maras, Gangs and Organised Crime Police Directorate were ambushed while searching a building, killing six officers including deputy commissioner Lester Amador; suspects may also have been hit.
The National Police ordered immediate intervention in both areas, and the armed forces pledged personnel and logistics as officials linked the violence to entrenched agrarian conflict in the north and persistent gang activity.
The attacks come months after Honduras ended a crime state of emergency in January under President Nasry Asfura, whose administration has backed a harder regional security line.

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