The Peace Brigades International-Honduras Project has posted on social media:
“’The administrative silence of the institutions jeopardizes the right to water, a healthy environment, and health,’ assert the defenders of the Dignified Camp René Alemán and Pedrina Melgar.
During their visit, PBI was able to speak with those who have been demanding a territory free of pollution, the right to water, and respect for free, prior, and informed consent for the past 17 months.
‘There are no living territories without people to defend them,’ these defenders, who are at risk of criminalization, affirm.”
The Honduran Network for Escazú further explains:
“Just an hour and a half from San Pedro Sula, a weathered hillside serves as a daily reminder of the wound inflicted by mining.
The water no longer flows clear, the stones bear the marks of explosions, and yet the people of Sapadril have decided not to give up.
In April 2024, they established the René Alemán encampment and later added the name of Pedrina Melgar. Two memories that sustain the hope of a community organizing to protect the most basic necessities: the right to live with water and the mountain.
The dignified René Alemán and Pedrina Melgar encampments are made up of women who take turns cooking and keeping watch, elders who share their knowledge of the hill, and young people who understand that their future depends on this struggle. They have found a place to share and reflect on the future.
From this resistance, we can learn that defense is born from the everyday, that memory sustains struggles, and that organization transforms pain into dignity. Sapadril reminds us that defending life also means telling its story, making it visible, and not leaving it alone.”
And Reportar Sin Miedo has noted:
“The Bloc for the Conservation of Natural Resources, the Broad Movement for Dignity and Justice and communities of the Medina Sector in Puerto Cortés have raised their voices against what they call the “double standard” of Honduran justice. They denounce that the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) has initiated a process of criminalization against 13 environmental defenders while keeping the company Agregados del Caribe (Agrecasa) in impunity. This situation occurs despite reports from state institutions – including the Ministry of Natural Resources (Serna) – corroborating the serious environmental damage caused by the mining company.
The communities of the Medina Sector have been suffering the consequences of the operations of Agrecasa, located on the Sapadril hill, for more than a year. Among the reported damages are:
-Effects on water sources due to the dumping of toxic waste.
-Destruction of homes due to the constant vibrations of the detonations.
-Various effects on the health of the inhabitants.”
Agregados del Caribe (Agrecasa)
America Magazine has reported that Agrecasa is a subsidiary of Michigan, USA-based American Aggregates LLC, a U.S. mining conglomerate, according to a 2017 report from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.
That Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative report (December 2019) notes: “It is a subsidiary of American Aggregates, LLC, United States of America. It is not publicly traded. …In the non-metallic mining subsector, the currently active concession holders handling significant volumes total 15 companies. Of these, only the Sapadril zone, operated by Agregados del Caribe S.A. de C.V. (AGRECASA), exports aggregates (limestone) to the United States of America and the Caribbean islands.”
We continue to follow this.
Further reading
–PBI-Honduras observes arraignment hearing against 13 environmental defenders opposed to the Agrecasa “Cantera Sapadril” mining project (January 9, 2026)
–PBI-Honduras accompanies sit-in by land defenders demanding the closure of the Agrecasa mining project (PBI-Canada, January 14, 2026)
–Honduran government represses community demanding that mining ceases in Puerto Cortés (ContraCorriente, May 17, 2024).
