Honduras Military

Honduras is a country located in Central America. With a population of around 9 million people, it is the second-most populous country in the region. Honduras is a presidential republic and its military consists of three branches: the Army, Air Force and Navy. The Armed Forces are responsible for defending the country’s borders and sovereignty, as well as providing security to its citizens. In terms of defense spending, Honduras spends approximately $90 million annually on its military, making it one of the highest defense spending nations in Central America. The country also participates in several United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions such as those in Haiti and Colombia. Honduras is also a member of both the Central American Integration System (SICA) and Organization of American States (OAS), and has close ties with other SICA members such as Guatemala and El Salvador. See naturegnosis to learn more about the country of Honduras.

Defense

The defense, which until 1995 was based on selective military duty with an initial service of 24 months, (2009) comprises 12,000 men enlisted. It is organized into 4 brigades, 31 patrol boats, 3 naval infantry companies and 16 fighter aircraft. The reserves amount to 60,000 people. Semi-military security forces amount to 8,000 men. The material is semi-modern and of Western origin.

Defense costs decreased in 1985-2007 from 2.1% to 0.6% of GDP. The United States has 400 people stationed in Honduras. The country participates in UN peacekeeping operations with observers in Western Sahara (MINURSO). To see related acronyms about this country, please check ABBREVIATIONFINDER where you can see that HND stands for Honduras.

Honduras Army

In July 2011, the state-appointed Peace and Reconciliation Commission admitted that the deposition of Zelaya was in violation of the Constitution and a coup d’état.

In December, Congress dismissed four Supreme Court judges and then gave itself the authority to dismiss judges and state prosecutors. The reason was that a few days before the Supreme Court had declared a new log for oversight by the police for unconstitutional. Human rights organizations accused Honduras of removing the last remnant of the rule of law.

  • COUNTRYAAH: Do you know where is Honduras on the world map? Come to see the location and all bordering countries of Honduras.

The military planned to conduct new elections in late 2013, but the security situation in the country did not allow for democratic elections. In the period May 2012 – October 2013, 36 political candidates, possible candidates, family members or campaign leaders were killed and another 24 attacked with weapons. The attacks took place across the political spectrum, but the vast majority of attacks were nevertheless aimed at the opposition Libre (Free) coalition. The November 2013 presidential election was won byJuan Orlando Hernández of the military party PN with 36.8% of the vote. In second place, Libres Xiomara Castro de Zelaya received 28.8% of the vote. Xiomara is the wife of the deposed Manuel Zelaya. Castro and several other candidates objected to the election result, and election observers referred to it as a scam. Hernández declared himself victorious and was deployed to the presidential post in January 2014. He had led his election campaign on a pledge to put the military into the country’s streets to create “peace and order.”

During the period January 2011 – November 2012, the police killed 149 civilians, including 18 minors. No police officers were put on the prosecution bench for the murders. On the contrary, in August 2013, Congress established a military police that could occupy entire neighborhoods and make arrests.

Honduras occupies a prime spot as the world’s most violent country with 82 annual homicides per year. 100,000 residents. The country’s location on the drug’s road from Colombia to the United States, as well as the military’s involvement in lucrative traffic, are the main reasons for the high murder rate. In January 2012, it became so bad that the North American Peace Corps withdrew from the country. The violence targets both criminals, members of the opposition, trade union and peasant activists, journalists and tourists. Gangs, police and military enjoy almost total impunity. Under 3% of the murders are solved. Most are not even investigated.

Honduras main contributor to the economy, the police and the military is the United States. The superpower’s total financial and military assistance to Honduras in 2013 was $ 60.2 million. US $.

TV and radio journalist Juan Carlos Argeñal are murdered on December 7, 2013 by two unidentified men. He had previously received threats from the authorities for his reports. Subsequently, Argeñal’s brother Mario was subjected to death threats. Already since the military’s inauguration of Lobo as president in 2010, 29 journalists have been murdered.

In April 2014, radio journalist Carlos Hilario Mejía Orellana was murdered in his home by stabbing.

In May, the director of Casa Allianza in Honduras, José Guadalupe Ruelas, was arrested and beaten by the military police. He even thought it was because of his criticism of the massive child abuse in the country and the authorities’ unwillingness to address the problem.

In June, members of the prominent human rights organization COFADEH were subjected to surveillance, harassment and physical attacks.

In July, journalist and human rights activist Dina Meza and her family faced harassment and threats.

Also in July, human rights activist Miriam Miranda was abducted by armed men and others from the Garífuna people in northern Honduras facing threats. DE had recently discovered a secret runway used by drug traffickers.

In August, farmer leader Margarita Murillo was shot and killed in El Planón in northwest Honduras. In November, farmer leader Juan Ángel López Miralda was shot and killed in the same area.

The United States continued its support for Honduras after Congress published a report claiming that the human rights situation had improved in the country.