The deposed president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, is heading home. His plane departed from Washington DC's airport on Sunday afternoon.

He was accompanied by the United Nations' General Assembly President Miguel D'Escoto and several journalists. Four other Latin American leaders are flying to El Salvador to monitor events from there.

President Zelaya's return is expected to lead to considerable unrest. The interim government in Honduras has ordered the army to prevent the plane from landing at the airport in the country's capital, Tegucigalpa.

On Saturday, the Organisation of American States suspended Honduras after it failed to meet an ultimatum to reinstate the president. This is only the second time in more than 60 years that a member state has been suspended. In the 1960s, Cuba was suspended after Fidel Castro seized power.

Photo by giggey (flickr)