The president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, has decreed a national emergency on Thursday due to the insecurity in the Central American nation and has declared «war» on criminal groups operating in Honduran territory.
With this measure, Castro has instructed security authorities to establish «states of exception and suspend constitutional guarantees» wherever necessary. He has also ordered the Military Police and the Armed Forces to carry out border controls.
This announcement by the Honduran president came in the framework of the presentation of a national security plan with which the Central American country «declares war» on criminal groups that practice extortion, corruption and drug trafficking.
«Extortion is immersed in different areas of our country, it is one of the main causes of migration and closure of small and medium businesses», said the Honduran president, according to the local newspaper ‘La Prensa’.
As Castro explained, the main objective of her «anti-extortion plan» is to combat the gangs and gangs that operate in Honduran territory and, especially, in the streets of the capital, Tegucigalpa.
The head of state has stressed that the government is now immersed in the search for mechanisms to ensure the restitution of the peace lost, she says, during the terms of Porfirio Lobo (2010 -2014) and Juan Orlando Hernández (2014 – 2022).
Castro has also confirmed that he has instructed the telecommunications agency (Conatel) to monitor the sale of chips for telephones, a process that from now on will only be carried out after identification of the buyer.
At the economic level, the National Commission of Banks and Insurance shall also establish «necessary measures so that bank movements are made with the identification of the persons».
