A study by the National Violence Observatory of the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH) placed the country as the most violent territory in Central America, with a homicide rate of 38.5 per 100,000 inhabitants.
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Although the country experiences one of its lowest homicide rates in the last decade, authorities recorded 3,496 violent deaths in 2020.
The bloodiest municipalities are located in Francisco Morazan, San Pedro Sula, Choloma, El Progreso, and La Ceiba.
The Observatory Director Migdonia Ayestas pointed out that assaults, robberies, massacres, and multiple homicides against the population, especially lawyers, skyrocketed. So far this year, March was the most violent month with 314 homicides.
Last week, Honduras' President Juan Orlando Hernandez (JOH) announced the restart of the Morazan Operation in 30 municipalities with the highest crime rates.
Ayestas highlighted that the JOH strategy focused on increasing security forces to reduce these indicators does not tackle problems that generate violence such as corruption, poverty, and crime gangs.
UNAH Violence Observatory places Nicaragua as the least violent country in Central America, followed by Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Belize.