Honduras has seen a decrease in homicides this year
Tegucigalpa, Oct 3 (EFE).- According to official data consulted by EFE on Tuesday, homicides in Honduras decreased by 16.5% between January and September 2023 compared to the same period the previous year.
The Ministry of Security said in a report that violence resulted in 2,306 deaths, 455 less than the 2,761 reported in the same period of 2022.
In September, 218 homicides were committed, 28 fewer than the 246 reported in the same month a year earlier, according to data from the same source.
The report notes that the average daily number of homicides in Honduras in the first nine months was 8.5, down from 10.2 in the same period last year.
The year 2013 was the bloodiest in Honduras’ recent history, with 6,431 homicides, but from that year onward, the number of violent deaths registered a downward trend to 3,661 in 2022, according to official data.
Honduras is considered one of the most violent countries in the world due to its high homicide rate, despite the fact that the country is not at war.
According to inSight Crime, in 2022 it had a homicide rate of 35.8 per 100,000 people, the second highest in Latin America after Venezuela.
Violent deaths in the country are largely attributed to organized crime and gangs known as “maras,” which fight over territory for petty drug trafficking and extortion.
A factor that contributes to the violence in Honduras is the high level of impunity, which is compounded by the development of criminal gangs, according to authorities and human rights organizations. EFE
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