90 Organizations Call for Demilitarization of U'wa Territory | Amazon Watch
Amazon Watch

90 Organizations Call for Demilitarization of U’wa Territory

July 1, 2008 | Campaign Update

Bogotá, July 1st 2008

President Álvaro Uribe
President of the Republic of Colombia

Mr. President –

We are writing to express our support to the U´wa people and our deep concern regarding recent events in their territory. Since the end of last year, we have been receiving news of the increasing presence of armed actors in the U´wa territory.

In late May of this year, the U´wa authorities publicly denounced the military presence of the Colombian armed forces and other illegal groups in their territory. In their statement they outlined the attacks that their people has suffered, a situation worsened due to the fact that they took place during the fasting season and that these armed actors entered the U´wa territory without permission of the indigenous authorities. Indigenous homes were occupied, their clothes and utensils have been burnt – which in their culture implies a spiritual pollution – and now the families aren’t able to go back to their homes until they are purified by U’wa spiritual authorities. In addition, the intruders in U’wa territory have stolen the family crops; they disrespect young indigenous women; they occupy fields in the upper parts, thus contaminating the water sources and the fauna, flora and natural landscape. With this occupation, the armed presence puts at risk the life and integrity of the people from the U´wa community and their culture, because they are said to be involved with one or the other armed group, which is not true.

We support the demand of the U´wa people that all armed actors leave the U´wa Reservation soon, whether they are illegal groups or the national military. This scenario of militarization within the U´wa territories is part of a broader national pattern of militarization of the indigenous territories. Instead of protecting the communities, the military presence increases the risk that this people suffer due to violation of their fundamental human rights. Other examples of militarized indigenous territories are found in Chocó, Cauca, Sierra Nevada, la Guajira, North Santander, Guaviare, among many others.

Additionally, we are alarmed by the last news issued by Asou´wa about the efforts from state organizations to promote the division of Asou´wa. According to the statement from May 23rd, 2008, the Ethnic Group Division of the Ministry of Interior and Justice issued ruling number 0055 from May 12th 2008, through which the communities of Uncasia and Segocia were dis-affiliated from the U´wa Association. We also want to express our rejection to the Ministry of Interior – Ethnic Group Division for apparently promoting the administrative destruction of Asou´wa. Due to the seriousness of the situation and taking into account the admiration and support that we have always given to the U´wa people, an example of national dignity, we will continue to stay alert of the situation.

Sincerely,

COLOMBIA
1. Autoridad Nacional de Gobierno Indígena ONIC
2. Abos-gamu
3. Asociación Campesina Agroecológica de García Rovira, Agrovida
4. Asociación Censat Agua Viva – Friends of the Earth Colombia
5. Asociación Campesina por el Desarrollo Sustentable Biabuma, Tamesis, Antioquia
6. Biosigno
7. Comisión Colombiana de Juristas
8. Comisión Intereclesial de Justicia y Paz
9. Corporación Ambiental Casa Asdoas
10. Corporación Ambiental SIE
11. Corporación Paraíso Colombia
12. Club Ambiental Mochuelógicos
13. Fundación Ambiental Asinus
14. Fundación Hemera
15. Fundaexpresión
16. Fundación Siempreviva
17. Fundación OE – Orientación Ecológica
18. Proceso de Comunidades Negras, PCN
19. Red Juvenil Ambiental – Red Juan
20. Red Juvenil Territorio Sur
21. Revista Verde
22. Sociedad Ecológica Al Extremo

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
23. African Indigenous Women’s Organization.
24. Friends of the Earth América Latina y el Caribe, ATALC
25. Coordinadora Andina de Organizaciones Indígenas – Caoi (América Latina)
26. Global Forest Coalition
27. Indigenous Information Network
28. Movimiento Mundial por los Bosques Tropicales – World Rainforest Movement Observatorio Latinoamericano de Conflictos Ambientales –OLCA
29. OILWATCH INTERNACIONAL
30. Oilwatch MesoAmérica
31. Pacific Indigenous Peoples Environment Coalition (PIPEC). Aotearoa / New Zealand

ARGENTINA
32. Friends of the Earth Argentina
33. Organización de Naciones y Pueblos Indígenas de Argentina – ONPIA

AUSTRALIA
34. Friends of the Earth Australia
35. Rainforest Information Centre

BELGUIM
36. Friends of the Earth Flanders & Brussels
37. Flemish Organisation for Forests (VBV – Belgium)
38. Forests and European Union Resource Network – FERN

BOLIVIA
39. CER-DET Friends of the Earth Bolivia
40. Consejo Nacional de Ayllus y Markas del Qullasuyu – Conamaq

BRAZIL
41. FASE (Rio de Janeiro)
42. Núcleo Amigos da Terra – Friends of the Earth Brasil (Porto Alegre, RS)

CHILE
43. CODEFF Friends of the Earth Chile
44. Identidad Territorial Lafkenche
45. Observatorio Latinoamericano de Conflictos Ambientales, OLCA

COSTA RICA
46. COECOCEIBA – Friends of the Earth Costa Rica

CURACAO
47. Amigu di Tera (Friends of the Earth Curaçao)

CYPRUS
48. Friends of the Earth Chipre / FOE CYPRUS

ECUADOR
49. Acción Ecológica
50. Confederación de los Pueblos de Nacionalidad Kichua del Ecuador – Ecuarunari
51. Radio Urgente ( www.radiourgente.com)
52. Red de Ecologistas Populares del Ecuador

EL SALVADOR
53. CESTA Friends of the Earth El Salvador

GERMANY
54. Arbeitsgemeinschaft Regenwald und Artenschutz – ARA
55. Pro-Regenwald
56. Rettet den Regenwald
57. Robin Wood

GUATEMALA
58. CEIBA – Friends of the Earth Guatemala
59. Red Nacional de Defensa de la soberanía alimentaria de Guatemala

HAITI
60. Haití Survie/Friends of the Earth Haití

HOLAND
61. Milieudefensie – Friends of the Earth Holanda

HONDURAS
62. Movimiento Madre Tierra Honduras miembro ATI, ATALC y Oil Watch

ITALY
63. Asociación ASud (Italia)

PARAGUAY
64. Sobrevivencia Friends of the Earth Paraguay

PANAMA
65. Fundación para la Promoción del Conocimiento Indígena y la Asociación Indígena Ambiental

PERU
66. Asociación Civil Labor FOE-Perú
67. Colectivo por los Derechos Integrales -TINKUI
68. Confederación Nacional de Comunidades del Perú Afectadas por la Minería – Conacami

RUSSIA
69. Friends of the Siberian Forests, Russia.

SOUTH KOREA
70. KFEM (Friends of the Earth Corea del Sur)


SPANISH STATE
71. Friends of the Earth España
72. Maloka
73. Fundación Mundubat (País Vasco)

UNITED KINGDOM
74. Corner House
75. Forest Peoples Programme
76. Global Witness
77. Rainforest Foundation
78. Survival International
79. Worldforest

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
80. Amazon Watch
81. Center for International Policy
82. Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America
83. Colombia Human Rights Committee
84. Earthjustice
85. Fellowship of Reconciliation Taskforce on Latin America and the Caribbean
86. Friends of the Earth US
87. Global Justice Ecology Project
88. Rainforest Action Network
89. The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Human Rights

URUGUAY
90. REDES Friends of the Earth Uruguay

INDIVIDUALS
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Premio Nobel de Paz (Argentina)
Adriana Lagos, Colombia
Alberto Arroyo Picard, investigador de la Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, México
Alexandra Almeida, Acción Ecológica (Ecuador)
Álvaro Luna Porras, Doctorando Universidad Paris 8
Álvaro González R., Grupo Mesófilo AC (91951) 5162835
Angélica Mendoza y Luis Romero – Equipo Pueblos Originarios, Servicio Paz y Justicia, Serpaj (Argentina)
Angelika Meents, Etnóloga (Roma/Italia)
Carolina Cano, Paris, Francia
Carolina Salazar Leal con C.C. N° 37.752.009 de Bucaramanga, Santander
Diego Fernández Varas – Groupe de Recherche en Sciences sociales su l’Amérique Latine (Grenoble, Francia)
Doris Carra Iglesias
Elizabeth Gómez Etayo, Socióloga, Candidata PhD, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brasil
Feeke Meents, Diplomático (Roma/Italia)
Genaro Bautista, Colombia
Gustavo Patiño Álvarez, Colombia
Graziella de Cocatrix, docente pre-jubilada, Pais: Suiza 5, av. de Chamonix, 5 1207 Ginebra
Gustavo Enrique Gómez Giraldo. cc 70’127.070 de Medellín. Escritor. Bruselas Bélgica.
Hernán Dario Correa, Colombia
Iván Ríos, Colombia
Javiera Rulli, Base Investigaciones Sociales
Jorge A. Lozada Alvarado, Director General Funprocep
José del Val – UNAM (México)
José M. Borrero, Ambientalista, Colombia
Juan Pablo Barragán, Fundación Acción Creativa, (Quito-Ecuador)
Luisa Maria Navas, 41.718.241 de Bogotá
Luis Yanza, COORDINADOR “CASO TEXACO” – Quito-Ecuador
M. Antònia Arnau – 37712646Y, Comitè de Solidaritat amb els Pobles Indígenes d´ Amèrica, (Barcelona)
Manuel Mosquera
Marcial Arias, indígena, Fundación para la Promoción del Conocimiento Indígena y la Asociación Indígena Ambiental, Panamá
Michel Thuault, miembro del CICPR, De Treffieux
Nemesio J. Rodríguez, Investigador, Programa Universitario México nación Multicultural – UNAM (México)
Nathalie Weemaels, Comité Pro Agua sin Arsénico, Quito (Ecuador)
Oscar Francino, España
Roberto Camacho Duarte, Director Promopaz
Sara Hurtado Leo L:E. 08745112
Sandrine Monbaron Faure, Ginebra, Suiza
Sandy Gauntlett, PIPEC, New Zeland
Vladimir Pinto, D.N.I 10218944, Perú

PLEASE SHARE

Short URL

Donate

Amazon Watch is building on more than 25 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.

DONATE NOW

TAKE ACTION

Defend Amazonian Earth Defenders!

TAKE ACTION

Stay Informed

Receive the Eye on the Amazon in your Inbox! We'll never share your info with anyone else, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Subscribe