Violence rears its head in Honduras

Unpleasantness today in Honduras. There is local populist anger at the USA DEA and claims of gunfire killiing innocents, including pregnant women. In resvenge, there has been violent unrest. Meanwhile the US State Department says no US agents fired any weapons and that the DEA's role in the area is limitied to support for Honduran police.

Who is right? Only time will tell. In the meantime, spare a thought or a prayer for all who have been the victim of recent violence in Hundoras, no matter where the blame ultimately belongs.

People in Honduras’ predominantly Indian Mosquito coast region burned down government offices and demanded that U.S. drug agents leave the area, reacting angrily to an anti-drug operation in which a local mayor said police gunfire killed four innocent people, including two pregnant women....

Honduran and U.S. officials said only the police officers on the anti-drug mission fired their weapons, and not until the helicopter was shot at first. The officials said the aircraft was chasing a small boat suspected of carrying drugs on the river.

Local officials said the two men and two pregnant women killed weren’t drug smugglers. They said the victims were diving for lobster and shellfish.

“These innocent residents were not involved in the drug problem, were in their boat going about their daily fishing activities … when they gunned them down from the air,” Lucio Vaquedano, mayor of the coastal town of Ahuas, said in a telephone interview Wednesday.

More at source (NPR)