Colombia’s indigenous peoples are making their voices heard! A massive protest is going on right now, with tens of thousands of citizens marching to Bogotá. Their goal: to make sure that the government respects their rights to land and livelihood.
Indigenous groups report that 1,200 people have been killed by different armed groups in Colombia since 2002—a claim denied by the government but supported by medics who have treated the injured. Demonstrators are calling for an end to the armed conflict and attention to the many thousands of people displaced from their communities. They are also are pushing for respect for land rights—almost a third of indigenous people in Colombia have no land—and an end to policies granting oil concessions on indigenous territories.
The march this week follows up a protest in October in the Cauca region that mobilized more than 10,000 people. By congregating in Bogota this time, indigenous leaders intend to put pressure on President Uribe to sign the United Nations Declaration of Indigenous Rights, and to halt negotiations of the Colombia-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, which have failed to take into consideration consultations carried out by indigenous organizations. More than 80,000 indigenous, afro-descendant, and rural representatives will meet in assembly in Bogota on November 25th.
This ‘Minga of the People’ (or traditional collective gathering) is led by several groups including the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia and the Association of Indigenous Authorities of Northern Cauca, which was supported by an emergency grant from Greengrants’ Andes Advisory Board.
We’ll keep you informed of any outcomes from this powerful mobilization.