Siege of Tegucigalpa
The Siege of Tegucigalpa (Spanish: Asedio de Tegucigalpa) was a military operation conducted by Mejican forces against the Central American capital city of Tegucigalpa during the 2023 Mejican invasion of Central America. Offensive operations against the city began as early as mid-May 2023 when Mejican forces under the joint command of General Luis, IV Duke of Otumba and Admiral Baltasar Salvatierra began their respective marches on the city. The forces of Otumba moved from the west after taking Guatemala City, while the forces of Salvatierra moved from the north after concluding their bombardment of the port of La Ceiba. The siege ended after the overthrow of Coordinator Daniel Ortega on February 5, 2024.
The ground forces of Admiral Salvatierra took the cities of Siguatepeque and Comayagua and, having turned La Ceiba useless, effectively blocked Tegucigalpa from the northern territories. At the same time and with Salvadoran support, General Otumba's forces continued to advance from the west, securing the towns of Santa Rosa de Copán and La Esperanza, steadily closing in on Tegucigalpa from that direction. By May 20, Mejican forces had advanced to install roadblocks to prevent movement to and from Tegucigalpa, effectively isolating the city and laying the groundwork for the upcoming siege. On June 7, the Mejican Secretariat of Defense declared the formation of a new front, the Fonseca Bay Offensive, to encircle Tegucigalpa from the north, west, and south. However, Mejican forces in the Fonseca Bay took heavy casualties in the battles of San Lorenzo, Choluteca, and Nacaome, losing multiple commanders and over 4,000 troops, and dissolving the front by August 16.
A second ceasefire negotiation between Mejican and Central American government representatives was initiated on August 25, 2023, amid the mounting casualties and the prolonged siege of Tegucigalpa. The negotiations, mediated once more by the League of Nations, the Iberoamerican Commonwealth of Nations, and the International, took place this time in the neutral nation of Welserland, but Mejico kept a low-intensity shelling of the city as a show of force and leverage. The talks were characterized by contentious deliberations, with both sides unwilling to make significant concessions. The ignominious and infamous caning of three Mejican diplomats, belonging to powerful noble families, broke down negotiations in late August and led Mejico to announce its intention to carry out extraordinary referendums in the occupied territories in September.
While the referendums occurred between September 12, 14, and 16, and the territories adjacent to Mejico voted in favor of joining the country, tensions within the city mounted against Coordinator Daniel Ortega, who was now facing discontent in the citizenry, the military, and within his party. The prolonged siege had taken a significant toll on the civilian population, with widespread shortages of food, water, and medical supplies. Reports of human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances by both Mejican and Central American forces, further fueled public anger. In October, Mejico formally announced the creation of the provinces of Belice and Los Altos and passed the Ley de Protección y Anexión. This caused an eruption of discontent within the Central American military, which had already been facing significant internal divisions over the handling of the conflict. Frustrated by the lack of progress and growing disillusionment with Ortega's leadership, a faction of dissident officers and policemen led by Captian Rodrigo Anaya, launched a coup against the Coordinator's government on January 3, 2024.
The failed coup d'état would eventually lead to the overthrow of the Ortega government, as it sought to implement mass conscription programs and other unpopular measures in an attempt to regain control. With tensions already high and public support for the central government dwindling, Captain Anaya's coup resonated with the citizenry and the military, triggering a rapid series of events, as protests erupted in the DRCA-controlled Tegucigalpa, quickly escalating into widespread civil unrest and clashes between different factions. General Otumba took advantage of the situation and, on February 5, he supported a second coup d'état against Ortega, aligning himself with Captain Anaya. With the military divided, Central American forces were unable to mount an effective resistance, and Tegucigalpa fell to Mejican control.
Upon the defeat of Central American forces, Mejican diplomats and Anaya-backed representatives met in the city of Comayagua, where they would sign the Treaties of San Miguel on February 17, formally ending the war. The Federal Republic of Central America was established with Anaya as president; compromised Mejico to carry out a referendum in 2025 in both Belice and Los Altos to determine the future status of both regions as either Mejican provinces or part of the newly-formed republic; specified the establishment of a LON-led monitoring mission to oversee the transition process; and compromised Captain Anaya to carry out a plebiscite to join the ICN within six months of the signing of the treaty.