GANGSTER PARADISE: Members of the Mara 18 (M-18) gang, are pictured at a prison in San Pedro Sula, 240 km north of Tegucigalpa
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras: Two ultra-violent Honduran gangs apologised Tuesday for their crimes and declared they were willing to discuss a truce to cut violence in the nation with the world’s highest murder rate.
Leaders from the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Mara 18 (M-18) street gangs made their statements in separate press conferences at the prison of San Predo Sula, the Central American country’s second biggest city.
“We want to ask for forgiveness from society before God if we caused pain at any time,” an MS-13 member identified as Marcos told reporters.
Another M-18 gangster described the event as a “process of dialogue to reduce violence.”
“We give our word that if the government listens to us, gives us jobs, gives us rights and looks after us, we can continue talking,” the man said.
The bishop of San Pedro Sula, Romulo Emiliani, had approached the two gangs months ago in a bid to mediate a truce. President Porfirio Lobo voiced support for the Catholic cleric’s mediation efforts on Monday. — AFP