Honduras is planning to build a mega-prison that can accommodate 20,000 prisoners in an attempt to combat widespread organised gang crime. The announcement came from President Xiomara Castro in a televised address on Saturday.
Gang crime, often linked to drug cartel activity, is rampant in Honduras and neighbouring countries in Central America – and often tied to drug trafficking in other parts of Latin America.
El Salvador's controversial President Nayib Bukele has previously ordered the construction of several large prisons, including a giant prison that can hold 40,000 prisoners.
Guatemala, with a population of around ten million, is following El Salvador's example and ordering mass arrests of suspects. The president also announced that the military will be deployed against organised crime and that drug-related crime will be classified as a terrorist offence.
