African Palm Corporate Death & Destruction
in Aguán Region of Honduras

During 13 years of U.S. and Canadian-backed ‘narco-military regimes’ from 2009-2022, Rights Action worked extensively in the Bajo Aguan valley of northern Honduras. After the 2009 coup, killings, forced evictions and repression spiked higher, as the World Bank and global food industry conglomerates increased investments and business relations with Honduras’ land barons and, principally, the Dinant Corporation, to increase production of African palm for global food industries and “green energy” markets. The killings continue today. From 2009-2015, this work was spearheaded by former Rights Action colleagues Annie Bird (annie@rightsandecology.org) and Karen Spring (spring.kj@gmail.com).

2004 March 24 - “African Palm & Murder in Honduras: In memory of Cesar Virgilio Pinot”, Article by S.Cuffe

2010 November 13 - “Funding Dams or Biofuels in Honduras Would Violate International Law and the MCC Mandate”, by A. Bird

2010 November 17 - Violence and Death in Aguán Valley, FIAN report on killings of campesinos, and Urgent Action from “Friendship Office of the Americas”

2010 November 29 - “Conflict and Militarization Continues in Aguán Valley After Massacre of Campesinos”, by K. Spring

2020 December 16 - “Bajo Aguán Repression Unabated: 2 Communities Occupied by Military, 3 People Shot, 13 Detained”, RA Report by K. Spring & A. Bird

2011 January 10 - Urgent Action, “State-Sponsored Disappearance of Juan Chinchilla

2011 February 19 - “Campesinos Rising: A Peasant Organizer is Kidnapped and Tortured, as His Movement Continues to Occupy Land Claimed by Corporation”, In These Times Article by J. Kryt

2011 March 8 - “Shadowy Networks of Repression And Violence: Aguán Valley, Honduras & the tangled web of mercenaries, bombers, the CIA, drug traffickers & NGOs across the Americas”, by A. Bird

2011 April 17 - “A Bio-Fuels Ambassador: President Obama names a new ambassador to Honduras”, by A. Bird

2011 June 9 - “Honduras Re-Admitted to the OAS: 3 Killed; 2 Kidnapped in the Aguán”, by A. Bird

2011 July 1 - RA Report, “Rigores Community Attacked & Burned: Police Draw Guns On Human Rights Delegation from U.S”

2011 August 2 - “Honduran Police Burn Community to the Ground”, The Real News Documentary Film

2011 September 19 - “Biofuel (the New Banana) Republic”, NACLA blog by S. Reiss

2011 October 11 - “At Least 8 Campesinos Killed in Two Months as Violence Escalates in Honduras’ Bajo Aguán Region”, by A. Bird

2011 December 2 - “Carbon Credits in the ‘Valley of Death’: Uncovering the Ugly Effects of U.N.-Backed ‘Clean Development’ in Honduras”, In These Times Article by J. Kryt

2012 April 20 - Urgent Action - More State & Corporate Repression in Aguán Valley

2012 July 5 - “Gregorio Chavez Kidnapped & Disappeared in the Aguán”, by A. Bird

2012 August 23 - Letter from Rights Action to Canadian Embassy; Action request

2012 September 24 - Antonio Trejo, Honduran Lawyer for Land Defenders in the Aguán, Murdered at Wedding; Washington Post Article; COFADEH Statement

2012 October 2 - “Why Good Lawyers are Being Assassinated in Honduras: Small Farmer Cooperatives, that Assassinated Lawyer Antonio Trejos Defended, are Under Increased Threat”, by A. Bird

2012 November 7 - “World Bank Financing a Death Squad? Stop World Bank Funding of Miguel Facusse & Dinant Corporation, Accused of Operating Death Squads in Honduras”, by A. Bird

2013 January 11 - Four Documentary Films on Widespread Killings in the Aguán, Honduras, in Support of Global African Palm Industry

2013 February 14 - “The War on Peasants”, Huffington Post Article by E. Holt Gimenez

2013 February 20 - Human Rights Violations by U.S.-Backed Honduran Special Forces Unit in Aguán Region”, by A. Bird and K. Spring

2013 March 7 - Rights Action Letter to World Bank and U.S. Treasury Department; Action Request

2013 March 19 - NGO Letter to World Bank, “World Bank Must End Support for Honduran Palm Oil Company Implicated in Dozens of Murders in Aguán Region”

2013 April 25 - “Honduras: Digging Up the Executed in the Aguán Region”, Upsidedown World Article by Defensores en Línea

2013 April 26 - “Remains of Campesino Dug Up From Clandestine Grave on ‘Paso Aguán’ Farm”, Article by Movimiento Muca

2013 May 6 - “Honduran Death Squad Murders in Aguán Valley: Reflections on Rights Action Report”, by F. B. Mills, COHA

2013 May 13 - More Blood Flows in Aguán Valley, Honduras: Assassination of Jose Perez; background and MUCA reports

2013 May 23 - “More Repression Against ‘La Panama’ Community in Aguán Region, Honduras: Urgent Action and Support Needed”, by K. Spring

2013 June 4 - “Aguán Campesino Movement Leader & Son Killed, Wife Injured”, by A. Bird

2013 June 10 - “Honduran Killing Fields: Repression Continues Against Campesinos in Bajo Aguán Valley”, Article by G. Heine, COHA

2013 August 2 - Rights Action letter to: World Wildlife Fund, Solidaridad Network, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, ProForest

2014 January 3 - “Bajo Aguan Region: Laboratory for the New Global Counterinsurgency; Laboratory for Neoliberalism: Honduran Military Commander Accuses Annie Bird & Other Human Rights Activists of Destabilizing Honduras”, by A. Bird

2014 January 7 - “Honduras & the Dirty War, Fuelled by the West’s Drive for Clean Energy: African palm oil magnates growing ever more trees for use in biofuels and carbon trading. But what happens to the subsistence farmers who live on the lucrative land?”, The Guardian Article by N. Lakhani

2014 January 11 - World Bank Linked to Brutal Repression by African Palm Producers In Honduras; Huffington Post Article; New York Times Article; Global Post Article

2014 February 12 - “Honduras: No Justice for Wave of Killings Over Land: Government Inaction Feeds Impunity in Bajo Aguán”, Human Rights Watch Report

2014 May 1 - “World Bank Loan to Honduran Bank Comes Under Scrutiny: Criticism of multimillion-dollar loan to private sector comes after internal bank report censured funding of another Honduran firm”, The Guardian Article by C. Provost

2015 May 10 - “Death Valley: The Land War Gripping Honduras”, Irish Times Article by S. Pollack

2016 October 19 - “Assassination of Jose Angel Flores & Silmer Dionosio George in Honduras, U.S. Government Certifies Human Rights Requirements for More “Aid” to Honduran Regime”, Honduras Solidarity Network Article by K. Spring

2017 March 27 - “World Bank Claims ‘Sovereign Immunity’ to Escape Liability for its Crimes Against Humanity”, The Ecologist Article by P. Dolack

2023 February 14 - Relentless Killings in Bajo Aguán, Honduras, Related to African Palm Production & Global Food Supply Chains: Hipólito Rivas & 15-Year Old Son Murdered