Thousands of U'was and Supporters Resume Blockades English translation of U'wa Communique | Amazon Watch
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Thousands of U’was and Supporters Resume Blockades English translation of U’wa Communique

February 21, 2000 | For Immediate Release


The Association of Traditional U'wa Authorities Communiqué to the General Public

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As a result of the recent events that have occurred in U’wa territory, due to the violent military and police intervention, that in past days took the lives or three of our children and resulted in the disappearance of five indigenous brothers, demonstrations of solidarity for our community have continued to grow. This show of solidarity comes from all sectors of national and international civil society, who without distinguishing race, color, or politics, have joined in this unequal struggle against the National Government, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Mines and Energy and Occidental Petroleum of Colombia.

This time, support has come from groups in the farming communities of Arauca, who have added approximately 4,000 people to the 1,200 members of our indigenous community gathered near the Gibraltar well-site in Toledo, Norte de Santander.

The purpose of the group gathered there is to vehemently reject the measures taken by the National Government in favor of OXY, whose plan seeks to subdue the U’wa culture by spearheading an oil exploration project on our ancestral territory. Nevertheless and in spite of the many demonstrations of support coming from all sectors of civil society, the armed forces and police keep attempting to stop others from joining us in solidarity to protest Occidental.

Not only have they stopped people from passing through, but they have also thwarted the passage of vehicles that are transporting food, medicine and other necessary resources crucial to the wellbeing of the people at the Gibraltar site.

Because of the above mentioned facts:

1) We demand that the President of the Republic of Colombia and the Ministry of Defense, immediately withdraw the army and the police that are surrounding, abusing, and violating the rights of the U’wa community and the rest of the civil population that have united with us in non-violent protest.

2) We demand that Occidental Petroleum immediately stop all activity on our ancestral territory, as their presence has unleashed violence against our brothers, including the deaths of our children and of the American indigenous rights activists Terence Frietas, Ingrid Washinawatok and Larry Gay.

3) We demand that Occidental Petroleum and those in the media who have called us guerrilla sympathizers, rectify these accusations immediately, because they endanger the life of the U’wa community and of those that support us. We fight to defend our cultural principles which benefit society as a whole, and not those particular dark interests.

We ask that the national and international communities support our cause which seeks to exercise the social rights of all Colombians.

Signed:
Cabildo Mayor U’wa
Kuirasiru Barrosa (Traditional Authority)
Cubara, February 21, 2000

FOR LIFE, FOR MILLENNIAL RIGHTS AND FOR THE RESPECT OF NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY, THE U’WA OPPOSE THE MILITARY INTERVENTION IN OUR TERRITORY

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