The foreign affairs minister of Honduras, Enrique Reina. Photo: EFE.
The foreign affairs minister of Honduras, Enrique Reina, reported that Honduran intelligence services detected an attempt of a “barracks coup,” which may have been motivated by recent declarations by the US Ambassador in Honduras Laura Dogu.
Minister Reina reported in a television interview on Thursday, August 29, that the plan was intended to sow divisions within the Armed Forces, with some sectors trying to remove the military chief Roosevelt Hernández.
The plan involved some military personnel who organized to challenge the authority of Hernández, whom Dogu had linked to “drug trafficking.”
“Nuestra propuesta es mantener una reuniĂłn franca con los Estados Unidos, sin embargo, cuando llegĂł la Embajadora Dogu, empezamos a tener ciertas diferencias, la primera intervenciĂłn de ella es acerca de la Reforma EnergĂ©tica”.
Canciller de la RepĂşblica, @EnriqueReinaHN pic.twitter.com/Yc8GPz0sMU
— CancillerĂa Honduras (@CancilleriaHN) August 29, 2024
Amid these tensions, President Xiomara Castro has redoubled her efforts to preserve the unity and stability of the Armed Forces.
Castro faces the challenge of maintaining cohesion at a critical moment as the campaign for the primary elections, scheduled for April 2025, approaches.
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US-Honduras extradition treaty
US Ambassador Dogu’s comment has also sparked debate over the extradition treaty between Honduras and the United States.
According to Reina, there is concern that the extradition treaty could be used as a political tool to influence the internal affairs of Honduras.
In particular, there is concern that the treaty could be invoked to bring General Roosevelt Hernández or the secretary of State in the Office of National Defense, José Manuel Zelaya Rosales, to trial in the United States in an attempt to weaken the governing LIBRE party amid the electoral process.
These accusations arise in the context of growing tensions as the date for the start of the primary election campaigns approaches.
There is speculation that foreign interference could be aimed at influencing the electoral process, using unfounded accusations to generate uncertainty and weaken the people’s confidence in Honduran institutions.
The Honduran people will elect their next president on November 30, 2025, and the elected president will take office on January 27, 2026.
(Telesur)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/SF
