Protests demanding the repeal of decrees affecting land rights of indigenous peoples in the Peruvian Amazon have now spread throughout the country. For the past month, indigenous peoples have blockaded roads and rivers throughout the Amazon to protest new decrees which make it easier to transfer Amazon land and resource rights to oil, mining, logging and agricultural companies to the detriment of indigenous and campesino inhabitants. The decrees, which were passed to facilitate the Free Trade Agreement with the United States, also set the stage for the privatization of water resources.
In the town of Bagua in the Amazonas region near the border with Ecuador, armed forces cracked down on peaceful Awajun and Huambis demonstrators on the Corral Quemado Bridge resulting in several serious injuries. Two people are reported missing. The protests continue.
