National News

The National Defense and Security Council ordered the permanent closure of DIPAMPCO, Honduras's anti-gang police directorate, after an internal review found alleged administrative and criminal irregularities — including an unauthorized raid linked to the deaths of five officers — with functions to be transferred to the DPI.

Security Minister Gerzon Velásquez confirmed the creation of the National Agency to Combat Crime (ANC), which will combine the National Police, military police, prosecutors, and intelligence services to target high-violence areas under a Honduras-specific security model distinct from El Salvador's approach.

The arrest this month of the alleged killer of Carlos Luna, a forest-rights activist murdered 28 years ago, has brought some relief to his family and renewed attention to the dangers faced by environmental defenders in Honduras.

Honduran club Motagua has officially released midfielder Carlos Mejía, who joined in 2021 and won three league titles with the club, despite having one year remaining on his contract.

The UN and international partners will deliver multi-sector humanitarian assistance across 33 Honduran municipalities, reaching more than 760,000 people with $63.2 million from OCHA's emergency fund.

A technical mission led by Honduras's Health Ministry and the Pan American Health Organization concluded with a roadmap to improve combined HIV prevention strategies and earlier diagnosis across the country.

Honduras's emergency agency Copeco widened its drought alert from 60 to 75 municipalities across six departments, warning that El Niño conditions could extend dry spells for weeks and are already straining water supplies and threatening crops and livestock in the dry corridor.

Honduran Armed Forces, coordinating with the Forestry Conservation Institute and local schools, planted 5,000 pine seedlings across reforestation sites in Olancho, Lempira, and the Distrito Central ahead of Arbor Day.

HCH Televisión Digital held the sixth edition of its Pablo Matamoros Awards, recognizing journalists Alex Cáceres, Wilmer Montoya, José Luis Teruel, and Gerardo Cáceres for their careers and contributions to Honduran media.

The Health Ministry is urging Hondurans to visit their nearest vaccination site on May 30–31 to complete their immunization schedules, reminding them to bring their vaccination cards.

Striker Erick Puerto's US visa was denied, ruling him out of Honduras's June 6 friendly against Argentina in College Station, Texas, while fellow call-up Alenis Vargas remains in limbo after his passport was retained pending a visa decision.

The National Defense and Security Council approved the permanent closure of Dipampco after an oversight commission found protocol violations, illegal raids, negligence, and possible cover-up in a mission where five officers died, and authorities plan to replace it with a new specialized criminal-investigation unit.

Honduran experts warn that extreme temperatures above 42°C are spreading dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases into previously cool regions, driving a kidney-failure crisis in the south, and destroying crops that put 1.7 million people at risk of food insecurity.

The Health Secretariat announced it is extending the National Vaccination and Deworming Campaign through June to reach more families across the country.

Honduras's private-sector council COHEP met with the Environment Ministry (SERNA) secretary and agreed on concrete steps to streamline environmental licensing, which business leaders say is currently blocking investment in the country.

President Nasry Asfura's National Defense and Security Council voted to shut down the anti-gang police directorate DIPAMPCO and replace it with a new inter-agency National Agency Against Crime (ANC) that will unify intelligence and operations with U.S. support.

Honduras's private sector council COHEP reports 4% IMAE growth driven by agroindustry and remittances, while warning that 3.12% inflation pressured by transport costs and climate risks to agriculture remain key challenges alongside IMF agreement progress and floating debt monitoring.

The Asfura government dissolved the Dipampco police anti-gang unit and created a new Anti-Extortion Division led by Commissioner Jorge Daniel Molina Gálvez, who faces two prior prosecutorial charges for illegal detention and abuse of authority, drawing concern from human-rights groups.

Club Olimpia president Rafael Villeda dismissed rumors linking the team to Joel Campbell and Jhow Benavídez, confirming only Jonathan Paz and Elvin Casildo have left as the club seeks reinforcements for the next Liga Nacional season.

The Honduran government and World Pediatrics agreed to pursue a cooperation accord aimed at speeding complex children's surgeries, securing medical supplies, and strengthening public hospital capacity.

A government intervention review of the Dipampco found alleged protocol violations, negligence, and possible criminal liability among its leadership, including failures tied to a mission in which five officers were killed and operations conducted without judicial authorization.

Some 136 alternative-care centers housing vulnerable children have received no government disbursements or agreements from the child-welfare agency SENAF since January 2026, forcing them to rely on private donations amid at least 190 violent deaths of minors in Q1 2026.

A new National Agency Against Crime, established by Decree 84-2026 and attached to the National Defense and Security Council, will coordinate police, military, and intelligence bodies—a structure experts say closely mirrors the dissolved Fusina, which was shuttered in 2022 amid corruption and abuse.

Motagua has signed Italian-Honduran left back Valerio Marinacci and Costa Rican winger Jesús Batiz, while Olimpia is set to add defender Christian Canales and recover Jack Jean Baptiste from Real España in a busy Honduran transfer window.

FC Motagua has signed 26-year-old Honduran forward Jesús Bátiz on a one-year deal for the Apertura 2026 season, with the Tela-born striker bringing experience from clubs in Greece, the United States, and Costa Rica.

The National Defense and Security Council, led by President Nasry Asfura, approved new security measures including disbanding the DIPAMPCO anti-gang directorate and restructuring specialized units to more effectively combat organized crime.

HCH Televisión Digital held its sixth annual Pablo Matamoros Awards ceremony on Friday, recognising journalists Alex Cáceres, Wilmer Montoya, José Luis Teruel, and Gerardo Cáceres for their careers and contributions to Honduran journalism.

Honduras's Supreme Court has submitted its legal opinion to Congress on proposed reforms to three Penal Code articles governing femicide, including a proposal to create specialized judicial bodies to handle such cases.

After disbanding the Dipampco following an internal probe linked to the deaths of five officers in Omoa, Security Minister Gerzón Velásquez announced a replacement División Antiextorsión y Asociaciones Terroristas that will handle organized-crime and extortion investigations nationwide.

The government has placed 75 municipalities on green alert and 144 under observation, coordinating water distribution, food aid, agricultural support, and preventive health measures through SINAGER to protect communities from an approaching dry season.