Quito, Ecuador – Ecuador's two oil pipeline operators prematurely halted clean-up operations last week, declaring the remediation complete despite evidence of ongoing pollution in both the Coca and Napo rivers. The companies are now seeking to close the door on the country's worst spill in the last 15 years by convening public meetings with...
Ecopetrol
Delayed Justice, Again
The Kichwa of Ecuador vow to appeal lawsuit over worst oil spill in the last fifteen years
"Today's ruling shows that the Ecuadorian justice system has once again put the interests of oil companies above the rights of Indigenous peoples and nature. The evidence of contamination and the impact on the lives of the Kichwa populations of the Coca and Napo rivers was overwhelming during the hearing. However, the judge, without law or logic...
Berito’s Vision
If UNESCO designated people as World Heritage sites, Berito Kuwaru'wa would be a leading candidate. On one hand, he personifies the beautiful and poetic U'wa view of the world, deeply connected to the original laws of nature. On the other, he is a unique and visionary human being, with an innate charisma through which he has bridged cultures and...
Portraits of Resistance: Inside the Peaceful U’wa Uprising
Peace is more than the silencing of guns, and that the peace accord will not address all sources of violence in the conflict. To that end, we share with you this guest blog from Bogota-based activists working with our partners of the U'wa Nation in Colombia, recounting the U'wa's recent struggle to recover their ancestral territory from oil...
Colombia’s U’wa: Bending the Arc of History Towards Justice
For decades, the U'wa indigenous people of Colombia have been an inspiration to others around the world, including everyone at Amazon Watch. With vision, persistence and courage, they have repeatedly demanded their rights and overcome the daunting forces arrayed against them.
Amazon Watch is building on more than 25 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.
"We Own These Territories. Ecopetrol Has To Go."
By entering and occupying the actual Gibraltar gas extraction site, the U'wa are taking their nonviolent direct action to a new level, even given the risks they run.
Colombian Tribe Scores "Historic" Victory Versus Big Gas
State company Ecopetrol pulls out of drilling site in territories belonging to the indigenous U’wa people
The Guardian | The indigenous U'wa people living in north-east Colombia have won what observers call an "historic" and "decisive" victory after state oil and gas company Ecopetrol dismantled a gas drilling site in their territories.
Resistance! Facing Down Goliath Oil Companies
The Achuar and U'wa indigenous peoples have me in awe of the immense power of grassroots resistance in the face of multi-billion dollar corporations. Years after graduating from university, I find myself once again a student. Throughout my tenure at Amazon Watch, I have been honored to "informally apprentice" under our wise and humble indigenous...
What Would Ingrid Do? War and Peace
Indian Country Today | I live in a country which spends a third of my tax dollars on the military, so I do not know actually how peace is found. So say that you wanted peace. How would that work out?
Victory! Gas Project in U'wa Territory Dismantled
"The U'wa people would like to inform national and international public opinion that the Magallanes gas exploration block has been completely dismantled. Ecopetrol has removed all the machinery that had been found there in a demonstration of respect for our rights as an indigenous people."
Will the U'was Be Forced to Threaten to Commit Mass Suicide Again?
Gas company wants to drill on indigenous people's ancestral territory in Colombia
The Guardian | "The U'wa have watched as their oil-rich neighboring territories have become centers of human rights abuses - perpetrated mostly by pro-government paramilitaries. To anyone who is watching, and particularly to the U'wa, the message is clear: Oil equals violence."
Defending Our Lands – the U'wa Thank YOU!
"The U'wa people are thankful for the solidarity from everyone who made possible this trip in favor of our territorial defense. We hope that, with your help, we will be successful in defending Mother Nature."
Colombia’s U’was Say No to Gas Drilling in Their Territory
Upside Down World | Plans by Colombia's state-owned firm Ecopetrol to drill for gas in the north of the country have been suspended following opposition from the indigenous U'wa people.
"No Other Option to Avoid Our U’wa People Being Violently Evicted"
After a tense 40-day stand-off over a bombed and paralyzed oil pipeline, the U'wa indigenous people came to an agreement late yesterday with the Colombian government, avoiding the possibility of a forceful incursion into their territory.
A Tragedy Foretold? Colombia’s U'wa People Facing Violent Eviction
A forcible eviction of the U'wa from their encampment would certainly be a horrific event. The U'wa are pacifists by culture – while they are not willing to kill anyone for their beliefs, they are willing to die for them.
"The U’wa Nation Will Continue our Peaceful Protest"
The situation for Colombia's U'wa people is both more hopeful and also more precarious than it has been in years. This could be a watershed moment – either allowing them to achieve several key demands or ending in tragedy.
Colombia's U'wa Indians Continue Oil Protests After Talks Fail
Shutdown of Pipeline Has Cost the Government Over $130 Million
Wall Street Journal | "The proposals they offered weren't close to what we were demanding," said Ms. Tegria, who said the tribe is preparing a formal statement for later Friday. "We will continue to not authorize the repair of the oil pipe."
Colombia Aims to End Standoff Between Oil Companies, Indians
U'wa Refuse to Allow Ecopetrol, Occidential to Repair Pipeline Damaged by Rebels
Wall Street Journal | "The government (Ecopetrol) wanted to do what they always do after the rebels attack, they wanted to fix the pipeline and then maybe later clean up some of the spilled oil," said Aura Tegria, an U'wa spokeswoman. "Well, it's not going to happen that way anymore, and that's why we're not allowing in the repairmen."
Colombian Indigenous Group Sets Conditions for Pipeline Repair
Platts | "We are tired of the explosions on the pipeline that have ruined our ancestral lands, polluted our water and put our people in danger. We want it relocated," said Heber Tegria Uncaria, vice president and spokesman for the U'wa Association.
Colombia’s U’wa – Two Decades Later, Fighting On
"We refuse to be silent and we are going to mobilize ourselves and once again engage in protest actions against the extraction of oil which will damage our Mother Earth."
The 11th Round Oil Auction in Ecuador: A Tough Sell
Analytica Investments Weekly Report | The government and indigenous organizations led by Amazon confederation CONFENIAE continue at loggerheads over the southeast, with the latter bent on derailing the oil round.
Colombia's Road to Extinction
Current Threats Facing Colombian Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous groups in Colombia continue to face unjust violence, colonization, dispossession of lands, displacement due to armed conflict and climate change, stunted recovery and development due to ethnic discrimination, forced assimilation, and cultural degradation.
Oil Daily: Indigenous Groups Oppose Colombia Drilling
The Oil Daily | New York – As the Colombian government seeks to expand oil and gas drilling to raise production, it is licensing blocks in increasingly remote areas, infringing on the territory of indigenous tribes, according to environmentalists and groups rep- resenting indigenous people.Today, most of the country's oil output
Obama's War for Oil in Colombia
Counterpunch | This past summer, President Obama announced that he had signed an agreement with Colombia to grant the U.S. military access to 7 military bases in Colombia.
Miles de indígenas debatirán en Cali sobre la presencia militar y empresarial extranjera
EFE | Unos 25.000 indígenas llegaron hoy a la ciudad de Cali (suroeste) para debatir sobre la presencia de soldados estadounidenses en bases militares colombianas y la posibilidad de que aumente el número de multinacionales mineras interesadas en sus territorios.El consejero mayor del Consejo Regional Indígena del Cauca (
Colombia's U'wa Reiterate Opposition to Ecopetrol Gas Drilling in their Ancestral Territory
International Investors Warned Against Heightened Risk of Oil Operations Within Indigenous Territories Without Consent
Washington, DC – Colombia's U'wa indigenous people will carry out a mobilization near Cubará, Colombia today in opposition to natural resource extraction projects in their ancestral territory.
COLOMBIA: Resistencia Uwa contra petroleras y megaproyectos
La comunidad indígena Uwa, que desde 1995 se ha opuesto a la explotación de recursos naturales en su territorio sagrado y ancestral, anunció que simultáneamente a la gran Minga Nacional, este 12 y 13 de octubre realizará una actividad de resistencia en Cubará, Boyacá, para manifestar su oposición contra las actividade
U'wa Resistance Against Petroleum and Megaprojects
Thursday, October 8, 2009By: Actualidad ÉtnicaThe U'wa indigenous community, that has opposed the exploitation of natural resources in their sacred and ancestral territory since 1995, announced that they will carry out a resistance action in Cubará, Boyacá on October 12 and 13.
Invasión de Ecopetrol y FFMM, violación de derechos más grande contra los U'wa
En un documento entregado al director HSE y Gestión Social de Ecopetrol, Napo León Gómez y al Teniente Coronel Juan Carlos González, Comandante del Batallón Especial Energético Vial No.1, la comunidad U'wa dejó claro, una vez más, su rechazo a cualquier tipo de actividad dentro de su territorio que atente su cosmovisi
