Honduran peasant and indigenous alliance denounces "territorial dispossession" and demands policy changes

Honduras's Alianza Campesina, Indígena y Popular, a coalition representing 70 organizations, has denounced a persistent model of "territorial dispossession" affecting rural, indigenous, and Garifuna communities. On Lempira Day, a commemoration of the indigenous Lenca chief who resisted Spanish conquest, the alliance called for a historical reckoning with resistance against dispossession, racism, and loss of sovereignty.

The group argues that Honduras continues to deepen a model that favors corporate, industrial, and extractive interests, while weakening institutions meant to protect agrarian, environmental, and human rights. They specifically criticized three decrees approved this year: 93-2021, which introduced reforms to land tenure and recovery, and 84-2026 and 107-2026, which they claim facilitate evictions, criminalize protest, and expand state protection for business interests.

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The date should serve to recover the historical memory of resistance against dispossession, racism, domination, and the loss of sovereignty.

This framework, the alliance stated, is coupled with strengthened security forces, increased punitive responses, and a concerning trend toward militarization in managing social and territorial conflicts. They also expressed concern over Honduras's return to the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and alleged non-compliance with international rulings favoring Garifuna communities.

The Alianza Campesina, Indígena y Popular is demanding the repeal of the criticized decrees, an end to the criminalization of community leaders, and a halt to evictions pending legal resolutions. Furthermore, they seek the creation of a participatory national mechanism to resolve agrarian disputes, guarantee property titles, and bolster institutions like the National Agrarian Institute.

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This framework is combined with the strengthening of security apparatuses, the expansion of punitive responses, and a worrying trend toward the militarization of society and the management of social and territorial conflicts.