NicaNotes

June 4, 2026

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By John Perry and Roger D. Harris

(Nicaragua-based writer John Perry publishes in the London Review of Books, FAIR, CovertAction and elsewhere. Roger D. Harris is with the Task Force on the Americas and the Venezuela Solidarity Network. Both authors are active with the Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition. This article was first published in CounterCurrents, Dissident Voice, LA Progressive, Counterpunch, Internationalist 360, Orinoco Tribune, Tortilla con Sal and elsewhere.)

Governance in Honduras shifted sharply to the extreme right within months of National Party’s Nasry Asfura taking office on January 27, succeeding the Libre party’s progressive president, Xiomara Castro. In November 30 elections, the National Party was trailing a poor third before Trump threatened to end all aid to Honduras unless Asfura won. Even then, Asfura had only a wafer-thin plurality, which might well have disappeared had the electoral council not broken its mandate by halting the count before all the votes had been tallied.

Compounding this blatant interference, Trump announced just two days before the election that he was pardoning former Honduran president and National Party stalwart, Juan Orlando Hernández, who had been extradited to the US and was serving a 45-year sentence for narcotrafficking. Corporate media treated Trump’s pardon as just a typically blatant political maneuver. Yet they have since largely ignored what appears to be a much bigger element of the same plot.

The emerging regional offensive

The wider conspiracy has been revealed in a trove of leaked audio recordings, now dubbed “Hondurasgate.” The 37 recordings appear to show that Hernández – still in the US – is preparing a return to Honduran politics and, in league with Republican party officials, is actively producing propaganda directed against progressive governments across Latin America.

Claims by Hondurasgate investigators that the recordings have been independently verified now appear to be at least partially substantiated by a separate investigation commissioned by Drop Site News. BBC Mundo recently interviewed Hernández and asked for his response to the controversy, but received no response.

Shocking as the revelations are, Hondurasgate is symptomatic of a much more ambitious project to exploit Honduras and impose the “Donroe Doctrine” across the region. Whether or not the recordings are all genuine, the wider project is very much alive.

Power consolidation through lawfare and repression

Since taking office, Asfura wasted no time consolidating control over Honduran institutions. The elections left the Libre party with fewer than one-third of the seats in the National Congress, reverting to the historic pattern in Honduras in which the National and the Liberal parties – both neoliberal and subservient to Washington – swap power. This has enabled Asfura to move quickly against his enemies.

Marlon Ochoa, Libre’s representative on the electoral council and the first official to call out the electoral fraud, was impeached by Congress on fabricated charges, received death threats, and fled the country.

The sitting attorney general, also from the Libre Party, was dismissed. The Supreme Court president was forced to resign, while other leading congressional members were impeached. Many of those kicked out of their jobs also had their US visas revoked.

“It is a political lawfare operation in which Honduran institutions are acting against the country’s own legal framework to eliminate political opponents,” wrote Diario RED. Carmen Haydeé López, Libre’s press officer, describes the moves as “state capture” by the ruling National Party.

Worse may follow: “If we have to kill people so we can have peace of mind, we’ll do it,” Hernández says in the Hondurasgate audios. Further, “If we have to resort to repression to control the country, we’ll do it.”

Far-right operative Roger Stone – a Trump associate said to have orchestrated Hernández’s pardon – even called for the US to kidnap Xiomara Castro and her husband, former president “Mel” Zelaya, “like they did with Maduro.”

Return to the narcostate

These developments signal Honduras’s return to the corrupt and criminal neoliberal order that prevailed after the 2009 military coup and lasted until Xiomara Castro’s presidency in January 2022.

For most of this earlier period, Juan Orlando Hernández dominated politics, transforming Honduras into a “narcostate”. Over the years, he facilitated the trafficking to the US of at least 400 tons of cocaine, accepted huge bribes (including $1 million from Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán), and ran a regime marked by extreme violence.

The leaked recordings show Hernández expects a reconfigured judiciary to clear him of outstanding charges in Honduras. This would pave the way for his return and even to make a run for president again in 2029.

Rolling back social gains and imposing austerity

In the meantime, Asfura has moved rapidly to dismantle the Libre government’s modest achievements. Castro had begun to invest heavily in a public health service that fell apart during the Covid pandemic. Asfura halted construction of three hospitals her administration had partially completed. He also withdrew a popular subsidy for electricity bills benefiting 600,000 low-income families.

In the last few weeks, Honduras has witnessed widespread protests against the weakening of workers’ rights, a march organized by 30 campesino movements against legislation that strengthens the hands of big landowners, and student demonstrations over cuts in university budgets.

Another worrying hint of a return to the narcostate has been a sharp increase in homicides, extortions, kidnappings, and femicides. Violence peaked on May 21, with 24 violent deaths in two incidents: 19 peasant farmers murdered in a land conflict and five people killed in a gang assault on a police vehicle.

Cuts in public spending and attacks on the rights of the 60% of Hondurans living in poverty constitute Asfura’s austerity program. But Asfura’s and Hernández’s aims are for a much wider transformation of the country.

One of Castro’s reforms was to declare illegal the private model cities or “ZEDEs,” which Hernández and his predecessor initiated in the face of community protests. Asfura has reversed her decisions, thus neutralizing huge pending lawsuits filed against Honduras by the libertarian investors in two ZEDEs, Próspera and Morazán. US investor and billionaire Trump advisor Peter Thiel is a key figure behind Próspera. The congress is now exploring how to promote more of these libertarian “states within a state” that ride roughshod over the rights of local communities.

Militarization and reassertion of US hegemony

Another pay-off for Trump in return for Hernández’s pardon is the promise of a second US military base in Honduras. Because of its strategic position in Central America, the US already has the huge Soto Cano base, which Xiomara Castro threatened to close. Soon, according to Marlon Ochoa, the US will install another base on the island of Roatán, further strengthening Washington’s naval domination of the Caribbean.

If built, it will be part of a wave of US militarization in the region, with a strengthened base in El Salvador and US troops newly deployed in Panama.

Another dramatic change is the restoration of close ties with Israel. During Castro’s presidency, Honduras (along with Colombia and Nicaragua) was one of Latin America’s fiercest critics of the Gaza genocide. Hernández, when president, had close links with Israel’s Netanyahu, who (according to the Hondurasgate recordings) had ‘everything to do’ with Hernández’s pardon.

This month, Israeli President Issac Herzog embarked on a diplomatic tour of Central America, stopping in Panama and attending the inauguration of Costa Rica’s new president, Laura Fernández. While in San Jose, Herzog met Chile’s new right-wing president José Antonio Kast and Honduras’s Nasry Asfura who, despite his Palestinian ancestry, identifies as a Christian Zionist. Asfura’s administration is part of a broader regional trend in which Trump-aligned governments (such as Bolivia’s) restore ties with Israel that were severed by their predecessors.

Asfura is reportedly planning legislation to encourage investment by US and Israeli AI firms. Honduras’s abundant water resources and renewable energy infrastructure would be central to such projects. Yet several of these developments have proven highly controversial with rural communities, including the notorious hydro project which led to the murder of Berta Cáceres.

Testing ground for the “Donroe Doctrine”

Gerardo Torres Zelaya says that “Honduras is not an isolated case: it is a testing ground for a new offensive against our democracies.” Torres Zelaya, a former vice minister in Castro’s administration, believes that what is at stake is not just the outcome of an election, but progressive Latin American governments being subjected to offensives that “no longer operate according to traditional rules.” He adds that the region now faces hybrid warfare, strategically combining disinformation, economic coercion, criminal networks and, if required, military force. Trump’s intervention in Honduras raised the stakes further when compared with previous electoral interference. Yet even that was soon surpassed by the kidnapping of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.

In March, Trump assembled his regional allies in pursuing his “Donroe Doctrine” to create the “Shield of the Americas.” Nasry Asfura was there, of course, along with his opposite numbers in El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Panama.

The blatant US intervention exemplified by Hondurasgate may be an ominous foreshadowing of likely interference in the elections in Colombia on May 31, Brazil (October), and Mexico (2030), all currently governed by progressives. If no-holds-barred measures were deployed in the Honduran elections, they might be anticipated on a much bigger scale, again with little restraint, when the prizes could be Latin America’s biggest economies. Hondurasgate signals that Trump will not act alone; his accomplices will be the twelve members of his “Shield of the Americas.”

Where not otherwise sourced, opinions attributed in this article were expressed verbally in an online forum organized by the American Association of Jurists: “Lawfare and the dismantling of the rule of law in Honduras”, May 16 2026.

Briefs

By Nan McCurdy

First 460 Homes in Las Madres Development Handed over to New Owners

The municipality of Managua handed over 460 homes to their new owners on May 30 [Mother’s Day in Nicaragua] in the Las Madres Housing Development, located in the Vía Jerusalén neighborhood of Sabana Grande, as part of efforts to ensure better living conditions for dozens of families. Managua Mayor Reyna Rueda emphasized that more families will have the opportunity to acquire a plot of land or a home in this housing project, where a total of 575 homes are planned, 460 of which were already being handed over. She also expressed gratitude for the trust and support of the families who came to learn more about this important initiative. Rueda explained that municipal representatives remain on-site providing information and addressing inquiries from interested families. During the inauguration, the mayor explained that the project includes basic services such as drinking water, electricity, street lighting, water and sanitation systems, as well as infrastructure for cable and telecommunications connections. The homes feature two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen-dining area, and a bathroom, reflecting the Sandinista Government’s commitment to restoring families’ right to decent housing. The homes were handed over in celebration of Nicaraguan Mother’s Day. See photos: https://radiolaprimerisima.com/2026/05/30/entregan-primeras-460-viviendas-en-residencial-las-madres/  (La Primerisima, 30 May 2026)

2,000 Inmates Are Given House Arrest

In emotional ceremonies held on May 30^th, Mother’s Day, 2,000 inmates from the country’s eight prison systems were granted the legal right to spend the rest of their sentence at home with their family and the opportunity to begin reintegration into society. Authorities from the National Penitentiary System reported that among those returning home are 1,793 men and 207 women. María Amelia Coronel, head of the Ministry of the Interior, stated that this event is taking place “today, at a deeply meaningful time for Nicaraguan families as we celebrate Mother’s Day, a date that fills our homes with love, unity, and gratitude. A mother’s love represents strength, sacrifice, tenderness, and hope. It is that unconditional love that accompanies, guides, and sustains families even in the most difficult moments.”

Authorities said that this initiative represents a key opportunity for constructive reintegration into society. “Today we also celebrate the opportunity to reunite, to return to the family fold, and to pave the way for reflection and new opportunities in life. In this ceremony, the legal benefit of family reunification represents a gesture of trust in the human capacity to change, learn, and rebuild one’s life alongside loved ones,” she said.

At the Cuisalá Penitentiary System in the city of Juigalpa, prisoners received their release papers to return to family life. Among those benefiting from this initiative at this prison are 15 women, who, with deep emotion, had the opportunity to embrace their children and mothers, sharing special moments on a date of immense significance for all Nicaraguan families. The Sandinista Government promotes ongoing initiatives aimed at strengthening emotional bonds and family unity, and facilitating dignified social reintegration processes for citizens who have completed their education and training programs within prisons. See photos: https://radiolaprimerisima.com/2026/05/30/dos-mil-reos-reciben-oportunidad-para-una-reintegracion-constructiva-a-la-sociedad/ (La Primerisima, 30 May 2026)

Construction of Strategic Works in 2026

In the first quarter of 2026 the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure spent US$14 million of its updated Public Investment Program (PIP) on large-scale strategic projects that will strengthen the country’s connectivity and foreign trade. According to the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit’s January-March 2026 Budget Execution Report, the MTI has a total allocation of US$56 million.

The most significant project underway is the reconstruction, expansion, and improvement of Punta Huete International Airport in the department of Managua. The construction of the Pacific Coastal Highway, which connects the departments of Managua, Carazo, and Rivas, is also progressing – physical progress is at 83.3%. Work continues on the construction of the Deep-Water Port of Bluefields. Works such as site clearing and excavation, breakwater construction, dredging of the harbor basin, procurement of piles, and the purchase of specialized machinery and equipment, including tugboats, mobile cranes, trucks, and RTG cranes is nearly finished. This project is essential for transforming Bluefields into a deep-water port of regional significance. Construction of the Kukra Hill–Falso Bluff highway is now 83.2% complete.

In addition to these megaprojects, the MTI reported significant progress on road paving, rehabilitation of intermunicipal roads and the completion of improvements to the Empalme Wanawana–San Pedro del Norte Road. The MTI represents one of the portfolios with the largest budget allocation, reflecting the importance of roads, bridges, the new airport, and port infrastructure. (La Primerisima, 1 June 2026)

Government Subsidies Guaranteed for Families

The Ministry of Finance and Public Credit reported that during the first quarter of 2026, the government allocated US$640 million to programs and projects aimed at combating poverty, representing 21.5% of the annual budget approved for this category. In the first quarter the government spent US$4.5 million on subsidies and grants to businesses, equivalent to 18.4% of the annual budget allocated for this purpose. These resources were distributed as follows: Subsidy for Urban Public Transportation in the municipalities of Managua and Ciudad Sandino, US$3 million; Subsidy for drinking water and sanitary sewerage nationwide, through ENACAL, US$1.6 million. Spending on poverty reduction remains a priority, accounting for more than half (65.2%) of total public spending executed in the first quarter. Authorities emphasize that these resources are primarily directed toward the provision of free basic services in health, education, and infrastructure, in addition to supporting economic growth and job creation. (La Primerisima, 1 June 2026)

Historic Investment in Health with Hospital #82

The government has begun construction of the Afro and Indigenous People’s Hospital in Bluefields, a modern medical facility that will strengthen free healthcare services on the Southern Caribbean Coast and bring the country’s total number of public hospitals to 82, establishing it as the largest hospital network in Central America. This new hospital represents a significant step forward in restoring the right to health for Afro-descendant, Indigenous, and Mestizo peoples in the Caribbean region, within the framework of the Family and Community Health Model.  Co-President Rosario Murillo said in her address on May 27 that “today we have announced another hospital to bring health programs to all of Nicaragua. Another hospital, which is a gift from God to Nicaraguan mothers, will be under construction and launched in the coming days in Bluefields, on the Caribbean Coast, in the autonomous region of our Southern Caribbean Coast: the Bluefields Afro-Indigenous Pueblo Presidente Hospital.”

The hospital will be built on a 10-block site with a total investment of US$105.5 million. It will have a capacity of 300 beds and a construction area of 18,415 square meters, distributed across 8 buildings. The project is expected to be completed within 36 months. The center will offer a wide range of medical specialties, including Cardiology; Maternal-Fetal Medicine; Neurosurgery; Plastic Surgery; Orthopedics; Gynecologic Oncology; Nephrology; Oncology; Neonatology; Ophthalmology; and Otolaryngology, among others. “A range of specialties that fill us with pride as we serve our people and promote their health with the highest possible technology and quality. We have God’s grace with us, which allows us to announce this new center and do so on Mother’s Day because we know how mothers feel the need for these health centers, how much we value them, and how we thank God for these enormous blessings,” she said. (Informe Pastran, 27 May 2026)

Traffic Deaths Reduced by Speeding Crackdown

The head of the National Traffic Directorate, Commissioner General Vilma Reyes, said that the speed limit of 50 kilometers per hour in urban areas has helped to curb and reduce the number of fatalities. She noted that last year, traffic fatalities were reduced by 4%, injuries were reduced by 8%, and accidents involving victims were reduced by 5.6%. “Before this policy which is about to mark its first anniversary, 21 percent of fatalities were due to speeding,” she stated. This year, there are 12 percent fewer victims due to speeding—meaning speed-related fatalities have been reduced by more than 50 percent. “We have a plan which we all implement in which training focuses on speed and this is the result we have: 12% fewer victims compared to before this measure was implemented, when 21% of fatalities were due to speeding,” she noted.

During an interview with Canal Parlamentario, Reyes noted that this measure has forced drivers to drive at lower speeds. She also said that 27 municipalities are being prioritized and that there are 587 critical points, of which 84 are particularly dangerous sections that are being monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week, using roadblocks, checkpoints, and police technology. “Our government has equipped and expanded our police technology with speed cameras and breathalyzers; we now have traffic lights—including solar-powered ones—across all departments of our country, as well as speed bumps and traffic cones. All of this is distributed throughout the different municipalities of our country,” she stated. There is no municipality in our country that does not have a breathalyzer to use, that does not have traffic cones, speed bumps, and the use of radar, she added. The traffic chief stated that so far this year, 1,565 joint enforcement operations have been carried out by the National Police and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MTI). (La Primerisima, 2 June 2026)