Inside The World's Most Violent City In The World

Inside San Pedro Sula – The Most Violent City In The World -- The Guardian

City in Honduras has a murder rate of 173 per 100,000 residents, reportedly the highest in the world outside a war zone.

No matter the time of day or night, morticians stand guard by the gate of the city morgue, waiting for the next body to be released so they can offer their services to grieving families. In the most violent city in the most violent country in the world, they never have to wait for long.

"Satan himself lives here in San Pedro," says one nervous mortician who asks to be identified only as Lucas. "People here kill people like they're nothing more than chickens."

Last year, an average of 20 people were murdered every day in Honduras, a country of just 8 million inhabitants, according to the Violence Observatory at the National Autonomous University of Honduras (NAUH). That's a murder rate of 85.5 per 100,000 residents, compared with 56 in Venezuela, 4.78 in the US and 1.2 in the UK.

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My Comment: These murder rates are approaching what you expect to see in a war zone like Aleppo, Kabul, etc..

The Most Dangerous Place On Earth

The Most Dangerous Place On Earth? San Pedro Sula In Honduras - Where Three People Are Murdered EVERY DAY - Tops List Of The World's Most Violent Cities -- Daily Mail

* Hundreds of murders sparked by gangs and drug cartels in San Pedro Sula, where the economy is weak and poverty is rampant
* The city is followed by Acapulco, Mexico, and Caracas, Venezuela
* In the last three years, Honduran prosecutors have received over 200 formal complaints about death squad-style killings
* Police have long been accused of operating more like assassins than law enforcement officers in Honduras, but few cases have been investigated

The Honduran city of San Pedro Sula has topped a new list of the world's most violent places on earth, where tragedy, brutality and death squad killings run rampant.

At least three murders are reported each day in the coffee-exporting nation, mostly at the hands of vicious gangs and drug cartels who operate freely in an area of lawlessness, poverty and a decaying justice system.

Gunmen have taken control of slums and villages, well aware that the police are ineffective and corrupt.

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My Comment: Drugs, criminal gangs, dysfunctional police force, rampant poverty .... a perfect cocktail for a disaster.

Hondurans Protest At DEA Presence In Fatal Shooting

An American soldier in Honduras. Drug agents there are using military-style counterinsurgency efforts against drug trafficking. Tomas Munita for The New York Times

Hondurans Protest At DEA Role In Fatal Shootings -- The Guardian

US agents were on helicopter with Honduran police officers when four people were shot dead on Patuca river.

Protesters in Honduras's Mosquito Coast region have burned down government offices and demanded that the US Drug Enforcement Administration leave the area, after it emerged some of its agents were involved in an anti-drug operation in which police killed four innocent people, including two pregnant women.

The DEA confirmed on Wednesday that some of its agents were on a US-owned helicopter with Honduran police officers when the shooting happened last Friday on the Patuca river, in north-east Honduras.

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More News On Honduran Protests On The Presence of DEA Agents In Fatal Shootings

U.S. Says No D.E.A. Agents Took Part in Honduran Shootout -- New York Times
DEA admits to role in deadly Honduras helicopter shooting -- CBS/AP
U.S. Insists Its Anti-Drug Agents Did Not Fire on Innocent Hondurans -- Time
U.S. denies agents fired on Hondurans -- UPI
Probe underway in remote area of Honduras after gunfight involving U.S. drug agents -- Washington Post
Honduras protest over shootings -- BBC
Honduran area demands DEA leave after shooting -- CBS
Hondurans Demand DEA Leave After Shooting -- ABC News/AP
D.E.A.’s Agents Join Counternarcotics Efforts in Honduras -- New York Times

Honduras: One President Sworn In, Another President Goes Into Exile

New Honduran Leader Sworn In; Zelaya Goes Into Exile -- USA Today

Hours after his successor was sworn in as president, deposed Honduran leader Manuel Zelaya went into exile in the Dominican Republic, according to news reports.

Zelaya left the Brazilian embassy, where he had been holed up since September, after being assured safe passage by President Porfirio Lobo.

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More News On Honduras

Honduras Swears In New President, As Ousted One Leaves -- New York Times
Honduran President Calls for New Start -- Wall Street Journal
New Honduran president takes office -- CNN
Honduran Congress Grants Zelaya, Coup Plotters Amnesty -- Voice of America
Lobo Assumes Presidency as U.S., Latin America Split -- Business Week
Honduras headed 'in right direction,' but no aid yet: US -- AFP

A Resolution To The Crisis In Honduras?

Honduras To Let Zelaya Leave Country For Mexico -- Houston Chronicle

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Honduras' interim government said Wednesday night it has authorized ousted President Manuel Zelaya to leave the country and go to Mexico, and a Mexican official confirmed talks were under way on that possibility.

Zelaya told Radio Globo he was negotiating what he called a "consensual solution" to his stay in the Brazilian Embassy, where he has been holed up — surrounded by soldiers — since slipping back into Honduras on Sept. 21.

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More News On Honduras

Honduras to let Zelaya leave country for Mexico -- Washington Post
Honduras rulers to give Zelaya safe passage -- Reuters
Zelaya asks for safe conduct to Mexico, official says -- CNN
Plane off to collect Zelaya -- Capital News
Honduras to Let Zelaya Leave Country for Mexico -- ABC News
US Says More Work Needed on Honduran Settlement -- Voice of America
Confusion over Zelaya exile bid from Honduras -- BBC

Former Honduran President Zelaya's Options Are Now Becoming Limited

Members of the Honduran congress sing the national anthem after rejecting the reinstatement of ousted President Jose Manuel Zelaya on Wednesday. Photo CNN

Ousted Honduras President Sees World Support Crumble -- BBC News

When news emerged on 28 June that the president of Honduras had been bundled out of his residence at dawn, frog-marched on to a plane, and dumped in his pyjamas on the tarmac of San Jose airport in Costa Rica, it provoked a rare moment in global diplomacy: consensus.

Elected politicians of all persuasions were quick to agree on one thing: that forcing elected politicians out of office at gunpoint is not acceptable.

So, from Caracas to Washington to Havana to London, there was a chorus of condemnation. The only solution to the crisis, it was decided, was an urgent restoration of President Manuel Zelaya to power.

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More News On Honduras

Honduran Congress Votes Down Return by Zelaya -- New York Times
Honduran Congress rejects symbolic return of Manuel Zelaya -- Christian Science Monitor
Honduran congress thwarts token return of Manuel Zelaya -- The Guardian
Honduran Congress Upholds Zelaya's Ouster -- Wall Street Journal
Honduras Congress rejects return of ousted leader -- AFP
Honduras Congress says Zelaya cannot be reinstated -- Reuters

Honduras Elects A New President -- Will Anyone Recognize Him?

The president-elect of Honduras, Porfirio Lobo, waves to supporters in Tegucigalpa.
Photo: AFP/Getty images.

Honduras's President-Elect Is Wealthy Farmer Who Moved From Left To Right -- The Telegraph

Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo Sosa, who claimed victory in controversial post-coup presidential elections in Honduras, is a wealthy farmer who once flirted with Commmunism and lost to deposed President Manuel Zelaya in 2005.

The 61-year-old conservative, known for his wide grin, now faces the task of convincing the world of the validity of the electoral process that bought him to power under an isolated de facto regime.

He also needs to survive a tricky transition period, with Congress due to vote on Zelaya's brief reinstatement on Wednesday. Zelaya's term expires on January 27.

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More News On Honduras

Winner of disputed Honduras election appeals for unity -- BBC
Conservative Appears to Have Won in Honduras -- New York Times
Lobo Wins Honduran Presidential Vote -- Voice of America
Honduras elects Porfirio Lobo as new president -- The Guardian
Latin American leaders divided by Honduras election -- Reuters
Honduras elects conservative rancher as new president -- Hot Air
Brazil, Venezuela condemn Honduras vote result -- Press TV (Iran)
FACTBOX: Honduras election winner Porfirio Lobo -- Reuters

Weary of Political Crisis, Honduras Holds Election -- News Updates November 29, 2009

Hondurans Vote in Post-Coup Presidential Election -- Voice of America

Opinion polls indicate conservative candidate Porfirio Lobo of the opposition National Party is the clear front-runner.

elaya was ousted in a coup.

Neither President Zelaya nor Roberto Micheletti, the military-backed leader who replaced him, are competing in Sunday's election.

The two main candidates are from the country's ruling elite.

Conservative Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo of the opposition National Party is considered the front-runner. He faces Elvin Santos of the ruling Liberal Party, which ousted President Zelaya in June.

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More News On the Election of Honduras

Honduras tense as voters head to the polls -- Christian Science Monitor
Honduras voting for new president -- BBC
Honduran Hopefuls Look Past Zelaya -- Wall Street Journal
Honduras hopes to move past coup with election -- AP
Honduras braces for election unrest -- CNN
Honduras holds post-coup presidential vote -- CBC

Amid Bombs — And Complaints From Zelaya — Hondurans Prepare to Vote

From Time Magazine:

The homemade bomb exploded outside the church in this sweaty Central American capital as the choir was singing hymns in a lively Evangelical mass. When the parishioners finally paused from their verses, they thanked God that the device had caused no injuries — and had hardly even damaged the BMW car belonging to one of the faithful, under which it was placed. The bomb, made of a tiny amount of C4 plastic explosive, was designed to scare rather than scar, police said — like dozens of similar bombs that have detonated across Honduras as the nation prepares to vote on Sunday in the first election since its President Manuel Zelaya was forced out in a military coup in June.

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More News On Honduras Election

Weary of Political Crisis, Honduras Holds Election -- New York Times
Surveys: Honduran Conservative is Favorite in Sunday's Presidential Election -- Voice of America
Region Finds U.S. Lacking on Honduras -- New York Times
Honduran Leaders Hope Vote Will End Standoff -- Wall Street Journal
Honduras' upcoming vote a boon to de facto rulers -- L.A. Times
SCENARIOS-Road ahead for deposed Honduran President Zelaya -- Reuters

Honduras Deal In Limbo, Peaceful Resolution Is Doubtful

Honduras Deal Collapses, And Zelaya's Backers Blame U.S. -- McClatchy News

CARACAS, Venezuela — A U.S.-brokered accord that was supposed to return ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya to power has collapsed and his supporters pinned much of the blame Monday on the Obama administration.

Honduras' Congress has made no plans to vote on whether to enact the agreement following remarks by Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Shannon that seemed to remove U.S. pressure.

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More News On The Unrest In Honduras

Honduran Congress awaits court opinion on Zelaya -- AP
Brazil Loses Face in Honduras Political Fiasco -- Newsweek
The Way Forward in Honduras -- Wall Street Journal

Honduras Talks Breakdown

Ousted President Manuel Zelaya and Interim Honduran President, Roberto Micheletti
Photo: AFP/GETTY

Honduras Crisis Deepens After Collapse Of Deal -- AFP

TEGUCIGALPA — Honduras sunk into further disarray after President Manuel Zelaya, ousted in a military-backed coup, said a US-brokered deal to end the nation's four-month crisis had collapsed.

Presidential elections due on November 29 were in jeopardy as Zelaya called on his supporters to boycott them and return to the streets of the polarized nation.

Hundreds marched from the Congress to the Brazilian embassy, where Zelaya has been holed up since September 21, in a protest in the capital Friday.

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More News On The Unrest In Honduras

Zelaya Says Honduras Deal Is Off, as Election Nears -- Wall Street Journal
U.S. Urges Hondurans to Start Governing Under Accord -- Bloomberg
US Disappointed at Breakdown in Honduras Political Talks -- Voice of America
Honduras leadership in limbo as accord dissolves -- AP
Disappointed US urges Hondurans to return to talks -- AFP
Honduras crisis deal fails -- The Telegraph

Honduras Deal Collapses -- News Updates November 6, 2009

Zelaya accused the de facto leadership of seeking to run out the clock until polls.
Photo from AFP

Deal Over Honduran Crisis 'Dead' -- BBC

A deal to resolve the political crisis in Honduras is "dead", ousted President Manuel Zelaya has said.

He was speaking after interim leader Roberto Micheletti said he was forming a "unity government" without Mr Zelaya's representatives.

Mr Micheletti acted as a deadline passed for putting a power-sharing agreement into effect.

Honduras has been shaken by a political crisis that began when Mr Zelaya was forced out of the country on 28 June.

The two rivals agreed to a US-backed power-sharing deal last week, with a deadline for it to be implemented by midnight on Thursday (0600 GMT Friday).

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More News On Honduras

Zelaya: US-brokered pact for Honduran crisis fails -- AP
Zelaya says pact failed to end Honduran crisis -- CBC
Honduras Deal Appears to Fall Apart -- New York Times
Zelaya says Honduras crisis deal has failed -- AFP
De facto leader announces unity government for Honduras -- CNN
Zelaya to snub unity government if not reinstated -- AFP
SNAP ANALYSIS: Honduras pact collapse puts election at risk -- Reuters
Troubles for a Deal — and for Obama — in Honduras -- Time Magazine

Unrest In Honduras -- November 3, 2009

Honduras' ousted President Manuel Zelaya walks before a meeting with Jorge Reina, a member of the verification commission, inside the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa, November 3, 2009. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

Zelaya's Hopes of Return Fade in Committee Vote -- Wall Street Journal

A Honduran legislative committee voted not to convene a special session of Congress to consider returning the country's ousted leader, in a move likely to dash chances of Manuel Zelaya's returning to power even temporarily under a deal brokered last week by the U.S.

On Tuesday, a committee of 13 legislators voted to not convene the special session, opting instead to wait until Congress receives nonbinding legal opinions on the issue from Honduras's Supreme Court, attorney general's office and other institutions. It set no deadline for when the reports had to be received.

The decision means a presidential election scheduled for Nov. 29 could take place before any vote on Mr. Zelaya.

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More News On Honduras

Zelaya threatens to break agreement with Micheletti -- RIA Novosti
Honduran Congress consults Supreme Court on agreement to end crisis -- China View
Honduran lawmakers put off vote on Zelaya's return -- Reuters
Did Honduras deal weaken Zelaya? -- Christian Science Monitor
Honduran Congress to seek opinions before vote -- AP
Honduras politicians defer vote -- BBC
The big loser in the Honduras political crisis? The economy. -- Christian Science Monitor

Is The Crisis In Honduras Over?

A Deal Finally Ends Honduras' Coup Crisis -- Time Magazine

It's a fairly simple geopolitical rule: small, poor countries can't afford to be global pariahs. The U.S. finally got Honduras to absorb that fact this week, and the result late Thursday night was a long awaited accord between coup-ousted President Manuel Zelaya and de facto President Roberto Micheletti.

The pact may well restore Zelaya to office before the country's Nov. 29 presidential elections. It may also salvage the Obama Administration's standing in the hemisphere. That reputation had faltered in recent months as Obama's commitment to thwarting Honduras' June 28 military putsch came under increasing suspicion in Latin America.

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More News On The Unrest In Honduras

Honduran Congress to review crisis accord Tuesday -- AP
Zelaya upbeat on Honduras deal -- Al Jazeera
Honduras' exiled president and his opponents reach accord -- Dallas News/AP
Honduras accepts deal to allow return of ousted president -- Financial Times
Ousted Honduran leader: Pact will restore me -- Miami Herald
Honduras 1, Hillary 0 - Wall Street Journal opinion
Finally, America breaks this deadlock -- The Independent, opinion

Agreement Reached To End Honduras Crisis

Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya speaks to journalists at the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa. Honduras' de facto leader Roberto Micheletti and Zelaya have reached a deal aimed at ending the political crisis that has paralysed the country for four months. (AFP/Orlando Sierra)

Interim Honduran Leader Accepts Deal to End Crisis -- Voice of America

Honduran interim leader Roberto Micheletti says he is ready to sign a deal that could reinstate ousted President Manuel Zelaya and end the country's political crisis.

Mr. Micheletti said late Thursday he has authorized his negotiating team to sign an agreement that "marks the beginning of the end" of the four-month political standoff.

The apparent breakthrough followed pressure from senior U.S. officials who are in Honduras. Earlier Thursday, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Thomas Shannon, said the rival sides had to reach an accord to ensure international support for the upcoming presidential elections in November.

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More News On The Honduras Agreement

Honduras' ousted president, government sign pact -- AP
Honduran rivals reach deal to resolve political crisis -- Yahoo news/AFP
Honduras rivals resolve deadlock -- BBC
Agreement Reached to End Crisis in Honduras -- New York Times
Deal could lead to reinstatement of ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya -- The Guardian
Breakthrough in Honduras -- U.S. Department of State
FACTBOX: Zelaya set to return to power in Honduras -- Reuters

Honduras' Interim Leader Calls For Ending Talks

Honduran policemen accompany the US delegation. Photo AFP

From Washington Post:

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras -- With three U.S. diplomats expected to arrive in coup-torn Honduras, interim President Roberto Micheletti said Tuesday that negotiations on ending a four-month political crisis must wait until after Nov. 29 elections.

Dialogue between his faction and supporters of ousted President Manuel Zelaya is "not going to fix anything," Micheletti said, with just 33 days before voters go to the polls.

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More News On the Unrest In Honduras

US urges flexibility in efforts for Honduras deal -- AP
US envoys in Honduras to pressure sides over crisis -- Reuters
US Envoys to Visit Honduras, Push for Crisis Resolution -- Voice of America
US envoys to tackle crisis in Honduras -- AFP
Top U.S. Envoys Set to Visit Honduras -- Wall Street Journal
U.S. Sending Envoys to Try to End Crisis in Honduras -- New York Times
Kidnapping puts crisis-bound Honduras on edge -- AFP

The Unrest In Honduras Continues

Zelaya Talks Of A 'Second Coup' -- BBC

The ousted president of Honduras has said the latest proposals from the government that replaced him amount to a second coup d'etat.

Negotiations between the two parties have failed to make a breakthrough.

The interim president has said he would step down, but only if Manual Zelaya gives up his claim to the presidency.

Mr Zelaya told the BBC he was being subjected to psychological torture during his refuge in the Brazilian embassy in the capital.

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More News On Honduras

Manuel Zelaya undergoes strange siege inside Brazilian embassy -- The Guardian
Honduras coup rivals use soccer triumph in crisis -- Washington Post
Deadlocked talks won't affect Honduras presidential vote date -- RIA Novosti
More on the Honduran constitutional crisis -- Examiner.com
Gwynne Dyer: Manuel Zelaya's Game II in Honduras -- Gwynne Dyer, Straight.com opinion
Honduras Havoc -- Viviana Krsticevic and Juan Mendez,Forbes commentary

Talks To Resolve Political Crisis In Honduras Collapses

Deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya. Photo AFP

Honduras Crisis Back to Square One as Talks Fail -- New York Times/Reuters

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya pulled out of talks with the country's post-coup de facto leaders on Friday, throwing efforts to resolve a months-long political crisis back to square one.

Zelaya pulled his representatives out of meetings with envoys of de facto leader Roberto Micheletti that were the latest in a series of attempts to resolve the political deadlock sparked by a June 28 military coup.

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More News On Honduras

Interim gov't makes new offer in Honduras crisis -- AP
Crisis talks collapse in Honduras -- AFP
Talks to resolve political crisis in Honduras collapse -- The Guardian
Zelaya Says Honduras Talks Over After Micheletti’s Latest Offer -- Bloomberg
Honduras discussions 'break down' -- BBC
Honduras talks collapse again over Zelaya's return -- Reuters
Zelaya's negotiators declare Honduras talks dead -- AFP
Zelaya rejects new offer from Honduras coup gov't -- AP

Unrest In Honduras -- News Updates October 21, 2009

Honduras Crisis Rips Open Public Divides -- Christian Science Monitor

An aide to ousted President Manuel Zelaya said last night that Zelaya will not return to negotiations with interim President Roberto Micheletti until he offers a 'constructive' proposal.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras - Hopes were, once again, dashed yesterday that the political crisis polarizing this Central American nation will soon come to an end.

An aide to ousted President Manuel Zelaya told reporters Monday night that his camp will not return to negotiations until a "constructive" proposal is submitted by interim president Roberto Micheletti.

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More News On The Unrest In Honduras

Honduras regime harasses Brazil embassy, talks stall -- AFP
US revokes more visas to pressure Honduran solution -- Reuters
Decree limiting broadcasting lifted in Honduras -- AP
Honduras lifts opposition media ban -- Al Jazeera
Honduras crisis talks stall again -- BBC
Rights curbs lifted as regime eyes Honduras polls -- AFP
Honduran talks deadlocked on reinstating Zelaya -- L.A. Times

My Comment: It appears that nothing is going to happen until Honduras has its Presidential elections next month. With a new Government and President, a new dynamics will then be put into play. As for former President Manuel Zelaya, his position and leverage will only be limited to what other Latin American states may do.

My prediction, the new government will not be recognized by anyone. But with time, discussions and talks will resume and some form of agreement to recognize the new government will then be done. As to President Zelaya .... he will probably be sent to his ranch where he will then be left alone.

Unrest In Honduras -- News Updates October 17, 2009

Earlier deadlines set by Zelaya came and went as talks continued. Photo AFP

Zelaya Sets Monday Deadline For Agreement -- Voice of America

Deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya has given the de facto government until Monday to consider his counter-proposal for ending the country's political crisis.

A representative of the ousted leader, Ricardo Martinez, said if no agreement is reached by then, the dialogue is broken.

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More News On Honduras

Ousted Honduran leader sets Monday deadline on counteroffer -- CNN
Honduras crisis talks continue past deadlines -- AFP
Honduran talks deadlocked over restoring Zelaya -- AP
A Fair Plan For Honduras -- James Baker, Washington Post opinion