Communique to the National and International Public: | Amazon Watch
Amazon Watch

Communique to the National and International Public:

January 31, 2000 | For Immediate Release


FROM THE U'WA PEOPLE OF THE STATES OF BOYACA, SANTANDER, NORTH OF SANTANDER, ARAUCA AND CASANARE, COLOMBIA

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1. We denounce the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) for the various actions that they have carried out against the U’wa people; such as armed intimidation against indigenous inhabitants of our communities in past months; the machine-gun fire attack on Mr. Carlos Tegra Uncaria’s home; and the detention, kidnapping, and subsequent murder of our North American sisters and brother activists, Terence Freitas, Ingrid Washinawatock, and Larry Gay Lahenae, who defended our cause in a humanitarian way.

2. We condemn all support from Colombians for the multinational oil company OXY. In this way, we energetically reject the collusion mounted by the Colombian government through the armed forces, the FARC, the multinational OXY and the subcontracting company Rocas del Llano to protect and safeguard vehicles, equipment and machinery belonging to OXY, in the area from the municipality of Pamplona to the Samore Block; the tight coordination to achieve their goal, is evident.

3. A strong militarization took place on January 19 in Cedeno on property that belongs to us, where our U’wa brothers were surrounded by soldiers and riot police North of Santander, and were physically and psychologically abused, and their personal goods were destroyed

. 4. There have been death threats and intimidation made against civil officials to persuade them to act against our constitutional and legal rights, as in the case of Toledo’s judge, Dr. Yamile Vergel, who has been pressured into causing our forcible removal from our own lands.

5. There are strange circumstances surrounding the murder of Dr. Daniel Jordán Penaranda, notary public of Pamplona, who aided us in the process of gaining legal title to the farms of Santa Rita and Bellavista, as a collective U’wa property. These farms are located in the village of Cedeno, municipality of Toledo

. 6. We reiterate our noble purpose to continue our peaceful struggle in defense of our ancestral and traditional rights to our territory, and we don ‘t agree with the actions by the National Liberation Army (ELN) to destroy the machinery and equipment of the transnational oil company OXY, since actions like these only make the conflict worse.

7. We invite campesinos, workers, students, teachers, truckers, merchants and indigenous peoples in our region to show solidarity with our struggle, because we are convinced that DEFENDING OUR TERRITORIAL RIGHTS IS THE ONLY GUARANTEE OF OUR EXISTENCE. Today, we publicly and officially inform Colombia and the world that starting Tuesday, February 1, we declare a civilian strike in defense of the social rights of the U’wa people and the people of the Sarare area.

Cubará, January 31, 2000.

Sincerely,

U’WA AND GUAHIBO INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF BOYACA, SANTANDER, NORTH OF SANTANDER, ARAUCA AND CASANARE.

ROBERTO PEREZ GUTIERREZ
ISMAEL UNCACIA
AsoU’wa Representative CRIA

Representative Translation by Florencia Valle, Rainforest Action Network

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