Gunmen Kill 25, Including 6 Officers, in Wave of Attacks Across Honduras

At least 25 people, including 6 police officers, were killed in coordinated gun attacks across Honduras on Thursday, marking one of the most violent days the country has experienced in recent years.

Nineteen people were killed when armed men stormed a palm plantation in Trujillo in the north. A rural group leader told AFP the victims were linked to an armed group controlling the plantation, while local media reported that gunmen fired indiscriminately on workers. The oldest victim was reportedly 61. The attack took place near the contested Aguán River Valley, a long-running hotspot for land and resource conflict tied to African palm production and armed groups.

In a separate incident in western Honduras near the Guatemalan border, six police officers were killed in Omoa while on an operation targeting gang activity. Authorities said they were ambushed by armed attackers.

The National Police said it will immediately intervene in the affected areas and vowed to capture those responsible and protect vulnerable communities.

The violence comes amid ongoing struggles with organised crime in Honduras, where authorities have recently introduced tougher anti-gang measures, including laws allowing gangs and drug cartels to be designated as terrorist organisations, along with the creation of a new anti-organised crime unit.

The killings also underscore persistent land disputes in regions like the Aguán Valley, where armed groups, agribusiness interests, and local communities have clashed for decades, leaving the area among the most dangerous in the world for environmental and land rights defenders.