Two regions of Honduras woke up this May 21 between multiple massacres and armed confrontationswhich have put residents on alert, while authorities are still investigating those responsible for these acts and trying to determine the exact causes.
First, in the Rigores sector, located in the municipality of Trujillo, department of Colón, the authorities reported about at least 19 people who were murdered during the early hours of this Thursday.
International media such as Infobae indicated that the first hypotheses indicate that the victims were agricultural workers going to their daily tasks and that they would have been intercepted by armed men.
It also points out that among the victims there were women and that some bodies were left near a booth, while others were found between African palm furrows.
Although the authorities have not established a hypothesis about the causes of the incident, the Colón region It has been known to be an area of land conflict that has continued for the past decades.
It is estimated that, as a result of the clashes between farmers and private security guards, At least 200 deaths have been recorded in recent decades.
Infobae explains that the Rigores area has been a historically conflictive corridor due to the presence of peasant settlements, African palm farms and several agrarian claims that have caused armed confrontations.
According to the EFE agency, the conflict in that region would have started due to the sale of land —which had originally been granted to farmers through an agrarian reform half a century ago— to large agricultural companies.
Now, a new generation of farmers claims these properties. Many of them accuse former Honduran president Rafael Callejas of “aggravating” the crisis by allowing several farmers to sell their lands to businessmen.
The situation has become complicated more with the appearance of criminal groups and drug trafficking.
In 2022, the then president Xiomara Castro created a special commission to find a solution peaceful in the Colón area, which is also known as the Aguán Valley.
Confrontation with police
Hours after this massacre was recorded, the authorities reported another armed incident in Omoa, municipality bordering Guatemalawhere At least four police officers and one civilian lost their lives.
The deceased police officers belonged to the Anti Maras and Gangs Police Directorate against Organized Crime (Dipampco), who tried to enter a home during an anti-drug operation, as detailed by Police spokesperson Edgardo Barahona.
Infobae points out that these violent events have caused the temporary closure of the border crossing between Honduras and Guatemala through Corinto.
On the other hand, the Honduran Prosecutor’s Office issued a statement in which it stated that these events “will not go unpunished” and that “All lines of investigation will be exhausted to clarify them.”
Finally, the Government of Honduras ordered the “direct intervention” of the National Police and the Armed Forces, “immediately” in both regions.
So far in 2026, Honduras has recorded 11 massacres that have left at least 47 people deadaccording to Infobae.