Colombia: Indigenous Leaders Say Children Die as a Result of Oxy Displacement

The Association of Councils and traditional authorities ASOU'WA and the Regional Indigenous Council CRIA, denounce before the local, national and international Human Rights organizations the following tragic events:

Today, the 11th of February 2000 at 8:15 a.m., a group of mixed army and police forces arrived by air to Canoas, situated approximately 4 km from Gibraltar (North Santander), place where four hundred and fifty (450)
indigenous people of our U'wa community including women, elders and
children were situated.

The armed forces arrived without any warning, and began to displace us from the zone, using heavy machinery and tear gas, leaving us no option but to plunge into the Cubujon River. As a consequence of this violent show of force, three (3) indigenous children died, some women and youths have been wounded and bruised, and at the same time various indigenous people are now missing.

We categorically denounce these events of lesser humanity, which violate our indigenous communities, our constitutional rights, and the international humanitarian law.

We URGENTLY plead for the support and intervention of independent organisms, as well as national and international NGOs, to speak up against these violations of our constitutional indigenous rights and the humanitarian law.

We demand that the President of the Colombian Republic and the OXY oil
company respect our indigenous communities, and we hold them totally
responsible of any act of violation against our community, physical
integrity and indigenous lands.

FOR THE DEFENSE OF OUR ETHNIC RIGHTS,

FOR OUR PRINCIPLES AND CULTURE

U'WA COMMUNITY

(ASOU'WA) REGIONAL INDIGENOUS COUNCIL OF ARAUCA

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