Forgot your password?
Violence in Colombia
In the last decade, Colombia has witnessed a brutal war take place in the rural regions of the country where lawless paramilitaries and dangerously powerful drug lords ruthlessly rip through areas occupied by indigenous groups. The government has responded with retaliatory violence in which innocent bystanders fall victim to undiscriminating police officers. In the midst of it all, indigenous groups -- including Fondo Paez -- have attempted to redress historical problems of land mismanagement and ownership, hoping to regain the land that has so violently been taken from them.
Instead of listening to the indigenous groups' well-founded appeals, the government – whose hands are tied up in the war on drugs – has largely ignored the people. Furthermore, officials have associated the mobilized indigenous groups with those who pose a perceived threat to the “Democratic Security” of the nation, thereby sanctioning undue violence towards these communities. Nevertheless, indigenous people across the country have formed groups and associations dedicated to fighting for the lawful rights of the indigenous people.
After being consistently and systematically denied rights that are guaranteed by law, several of the the indigenous communities of Colombia have decided to mobilize in what they call la Minga de los Pueblos or “The People’s Gang.” The Paez (also known as Nasa, or “The People”) is one of the groups involved in the mobilization as they are one of the largest indigenous populations in Colombia. They are also one of Cooperative Coffee's largest producer partner groups.
In the agrarian reforms of 1998, they were promised reappropriation of their lands in order to consolidate and expand what they already occupied. It is the government’s refusal to honor these accords that has driven the Nasa to mobilize. Mobilized groups such as La Minga are also responding to the Free Trade policies to which the Colombian government has adhered -- to a greater degree since President Uribe's 
ascension to power six years ago. A series of laws were created without taking into account – and in some cases, systematically attacking – the autonomy of the Nasa and their territory. These laws facilitate the entrance and takeover of private businesses in areas occupied by indigenous. Multinational companies set up shop in these zones, prepared to exploit the land and its resources while carelessly polluting and damaging the places so many hundreds of thousands people live and work.
Violence has remained a principle ingredient in this murky soup of dispute. In the past year, six indigenous leaders have been targeted and murdered as counterinsurgency forces attempt to extinguish the persistent appeal for change. While President Uribe continues to claim that police forces do not use firearms save for extreme circumstances, videos – including one broadcasted by CNN – capturing confrontations between police and indigenous groups indicate otherwise. Calling it a campaign for “Democratic Security,” the President is rather unsuccessfully trying to convince Colombians that he and his forces have the conflict under control. Groups like La Minga de los Pueblos are frustrated with what they perceive to be shameless lies of Uribe and his administration. While attempts on both sides have been made to begin dialogue, circumstances have arise, preventing any true discussion.
In a statement released by ACIN (the Association of Northern Indigenous Authorities), La Minga reiterated that its "members are open to having a discussion, to being heard, to hearing those who recognize both their faults and responsabilities, to initiate the path towards a new country without reckless free trade policies, without careless and destructive laws, without State-spread terror, without war. Come as it may, this country will be built on justice, truth and authentic amends of past offenses. It will be built on true democracy so that the people from below will be able to collectively exercise their right to nominate, select, and direct those who represent them." | 
|
For more information, check out a recent article by CNN: Indigenous Protests
For a video (in Spanish) documenting the state violence despite President Uribe's calm denial of armed police forces during a press conference: "Uribe Lies"
