Manuel Milla, 25-year-old peasant in the region of Bajo Aguan, Tocoa in Honduras, was killed during a celebration day while he was playing football. Manuel Milla was a member of the peasant movement «Gregorio Chávez» and he was murdered for being involved in the recovery of a part of the land that had previously been taken from the community.
The «Gregorio Chávez» movement was created in 2012 with the objective of defending the indigenous people’s right to land. Since 2009, indeed, the communities in Bajo Aguan suffer from a war on land, where different groups fight for the ownership of the territory and the crops. This often ends up costing the lives of peasants and small land owners and the people who protect their rights.. In the case of Manuel Milla, he was the coordinator of a 10 hectare territory they had recently recovered, and that they would had used for housing. Another member of the movement, Allan Martínez, was killed the same day.
The case of Manuel Milla is emblematic because it represents the situation of hundreds of peasants and members of local communities that are affected by the conflict over land.