Támara prison riot participant 18th Street gang
On 20 June 2023, a prison riot broke out in the Women's Center for Social Adaptation, a women's prison located in Támara, Honduras, about 29 km (18 mi) northwest from Tegucigalpa, the nation's capital. The riot is suspected to be the result of a conflict between members of the MS-13 and 18th Street gangs. Forty-six people were killed, with most from a fire that began amid the chaos. The precise circumstances surrounding the incident are currently being investigated.Background
The Women's Center for Social Adaptation is a women's prison located in Támara, Francisco Morazán Department. At the time, the prison housed between 800 and 900 inmates, double its rated capacity. The prison has been an ongoing scene of cross-gang conflict, particularly between the 18th Street gang and MS-13, deadly archrivals. Killings were increasing in the prison in the years leading up to the riot, with violent incidents being recorded for the first time at the facility in 2020.Organized crime is a pervasive force in Honduras and is often bolstered by the illegal drug trade. Honduran gangs oftentimes wield immense influence within prisons, where pseudo-economies and rules are often set up by inmates. Conflict between gangs within and between prisons is common, where facilities often place rival gangs in close proximity. In a 2021 report, Human Rights Watch stated that "Overcrowding, inadequate nutrition, poor sanitation, beatings, intra-gang violence, and detainee killings are endemic in [Honduran] prisons." Contraband, such as drugs, pistols, machine guns, and grenades, has been discovered in Honduran prisons. Security forces are often bribed by inmates.In 2012 in Comayagua, 361 people were killed in the deadliest prison fire ever recorded. In December 2019, 40 inmates were killed in a wave of violence at two all-male Honduran prisons in a single weekend.Riot
According to Delma Ordóñez, the president of an association for prisoners' families, a brawl broke out between members of rival gangs 18th Street and MS-13. An injured inmate stated that members of the 18th Street gang burst into a cell block and opened fire on other inmates or set them on fire. Most victims were burned to death; some were shot. Images released by local media showed black smoke billowing out of a prison. Public Prosecutor's Office spokesperson Yuri Mora stated that the government could not confirm specifics regarding the incident at the moment.