The Colombian government has until Thursday
to report to the Inter-American Court on Human Rights
the steps it has taken to protect the Kankuamo indigenous people
from mass killings by the right-wing paramilitaries
to report to the Inter-American Court on Human Rights
the steps it has taken to protect the Kankuamo indigenous people
from mass killings by the right-wing paramilitaries
The grave situation faced by the Kankuamo "poses a serious threat to their identity and future as a people," warned Andrade. Only 40 km from Valledupar, the Kankuamo territory on the lower stretches of the south-eastern side of Sierra Nevada was invaded by Catholic missionaries and people from other regions of the country, many of whom were fleeing the violence elsewhere.
The Kankuamo have been the "older brothers" worst affected by the war. Some justify their murders because a few of the Indians have taken up arms for one band or another, but "this cannot justify wiping out a whole people," said Andrade. "AUC represents certain economic sectors that have strategic designs on the Kankuamo lands," he argued. There are plans to build a dam in Kankuamo territory in order to supply water to Valledupar, which is why "these people are being exterminated, so their land can be taken and controlled," he added.
"One way to ensure there is no opposition to construction of the Besotes dam is to physically eliminate the people, and another is to displace them, using terror," said Andrade.
Constanza Vieira /Inter Press Service Jul.13.04
