Belizeans Stand in Solidarity with Displaced Garinagu in Honduras

A land dispute in Honduras is now echoing here in Belize. This morning, the National Garifuna Council took to the streets of Belize City in a peaceful protest, standing in solidarity with Garifuna families in San Juan, Atlántida, who say they are being pushed off ancestral lands through military intimidation and displacement. For Belize’s Garifuna community, the issue hits close to home, not only because of shared culture and history, but because many families have direct ties across the border. Now, the NGC is calling on the Government of Belize to take the matter up with Honduran authorities and urging the Honduran ambassador to help push for a peaceful resolution. News Five’s Britney Gordon was at this morning’s protest and has the story.

 

Ifasina Efunyemi, Assistant Treasurer, National Garifuna Council

“We are one people, so you touch one, you touch all. Touch one, touch all.”

 

Drums and chants rang through Belize City this morning as more than two hundred people marched in support of Garifuna families in Honduras. Organized by the National Garifuna Council, the demonstration called on Belizeans and the Government of Belize to stand with the Garinagu of San Juan, Atlántida, who say military personnel have forced families off ancestral lands they have occupied for generations. Protesters say the fight is not just over land; it is about culture, identity, and survival.

 

Jose Armando Guzman, Resident, San Juan, Atlántida, Honduras

“At the beginning, we were scared because they were armed with rifles and guns as if they were going to war. But they are just trying to rob 150 families of their land. So we said, “No way. We are staying here.”

 

Now Garinagu from across the globe are speaking out, voicing their concerns to the public and making it clear the battle of one is the battle of all. NGC Assistant Treasurer Ifasina Efunyemi says the pain runs deep. According to her, today’s land fight is tied to a dark history dating back to 1937, when over a dozen Garinagu were killed in the same community they are now being pushed out of.

 

Ifasina Efunyemi, Assistant Treasurer, National Garifuna Council

“What happens to any one of us happens to all of us essentially. That is our fundamental principle as a people, and so we are joining with them to show that they are not alone. And these are our relatives. These are people that we are connected to by DNA. We had many Garinagu who fled from that very community back in 1937 as a result of a massacre by the government, right? And so this threat, when we saw the videos coming out of San Juan last week, you saw military strong, very strong and aggressive military presence in San Juan. And all our people could do was lift up their phones.”

 

Following the protest, members of the NGC met with the Honduran ambassador to deliver a letter outlining their discontent with the situation and call for justice.

 

Alex Nolberto, President, National Garifuna Council

“That’s a letter that we wrote to the ambassador to present to the president of Honduras, expressing our discontent with what is taking place, reminding him that we do not want history to repeat itself, and also imploring on him to respect the rule of law, to respect the conventions that have been passed that protect our rights, our traditional spaces, and to alert him that Belize is paying attention and the international community is paying attention. So, it is in their best interest to do what is proper.”

 

At the brief meeting, ambassador Carmen Scarleth Ayon Neda assured the council that the letter would be delivered and promised to provide updates on the situation.

 

Carmen Scarleth Ayon Neda, Ambassador of Honduras

“Rest assured, I will present this document to the president of Honduras, Nasry Asfura, for him to do his work and for him to also recognize what is happening in Honduras. We, as Hondurans represented here in this country, we receive this document with regards to your Garifuna community, as our friends, as our colleagues, also as Hondurans.”

 

As for now, the Honduran government has approved the development of a large-scale tourism project on the country’s Atlantic coast, on land that has been inhabited by the Garifuna community for more than two centuries. Britney Gordon for News Five.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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