“The community is going through a time of sadness and despair”, said the leader, and added that today, the police and military forces destroyed the houses of the families that have been inhabiting these lands for over 55 years. Approximately 700 people are about to lose their lands and homes, without knowing where to go. The eviction order was given by the Court of the Department of Tela.

Nahum denounced the illegal involvement of public authorities in the eviction process:
“A municipal authority, the Civil Registrar, came to be part of the eviction, when we know a Registrar doesn´t have any authority to direct an eviction. He showed up with a truck filled with people who came to take away the belongings of the inhabitants and to destroy their homes”. The Registrar, after leaving the community, went to have breakfast to the Indura Beach complex, said Nahum.

The Garifuna leader asked the Registrar if the people on the truck were being paid by Indura Beach, to which he answered that he himself was paying them with money he was getting from the company.

In addition to this eviction, the Honduran Garifuna community is suffering other kinds of harassment in Sambo Creek community. The National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL) “aims to close the Sugua Community Radio, and we know that this is due to the international demands of the Garifuna community against the Honduran State, and we don´t have another choice but to keep fighting”, said Nahum Lalin.