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[OPIRG-EVENTS] URGENT ACTION! Colombia: Indigenous organizations under attack!






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URGENT ACTION! URGENT ACTION! URGENT ACTION! URGENT ACTION!
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April 7, 2001

COLOMBIA: REGIONAL INDIGENOUS ORGANIZATION OF CAUCA PROVINCE (CRIC) UNDER
THREAT

The Regional Indigenous Organization of Cauca (CRIC) in southern Colombia
and their ancestral territories have been targetted by the armed actors
of Colombia's conflict. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)
have identified the traditional leadership of  the CRIC as "military
objectives", claiming them to be allied with paramilitaries. This claim is
COMPLETELY FALSE.  The indigenous territories of southern Colombia are
currently being disputed between the FARC and the right-wing paramilitary
organization known as the United Self-Defense forces of Colombia (AUC). In
this conflict, each side is pressuring the local populations to ally with
them, applying the rule: "Who ever isn't with us is against us."

The Sixth Front of the FARC has thus chosen to target the CRIC for it's
policy of not allowing ANY of the armed actors into their territory,
including guerrilla: They have done this by accusing - in written documents
placed in public spaces - the indigenous governors of the Cabildos of
Toribío and San
Francisco. Again, this is false accusation that has been recurrently used by
this GUERRILLA organization as a strategy to murder indigenous leaders as
was the case of Marden Arnulfo Betancourt and José Diego Vitonas.

On April 1 and 6, the Sixth Front of the FARC made two (2) attempts on the
life of Cristobal Secue Tombe, respected elder and grandfather of the Cauca
Indigenous Movement.

We URGE you to write the Armed Revolutionary Forces of Colombia demanding
that they respect indigenous territories and autonomy and desist from
identifying the indigenous leaders as paramilitaries.

The attached document, written by the indigenous authorities, details the
events and denunciations.
Please direct your letters to the following addresses:

FARC-EP
elbarcino@laneta.apc.org
tematicosfarcep@hotmail.com

In solidarity,

The Canada-Colombia Solidarity Campaign


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WE, THE INDIGENOUS AUTHORITIES (CABILDOS[*]) OF NORTHERN CAUCA, EXERCISING
OUR JUDICIAL RIGHTS, ACTING TO DEFEND OUR TERRITORIAL AUTONOMY AND OUR RIGHT
TO LIVE

PUBLICLY DENOUNCE:


1.       That on April 1 2001, at 8:00 a.m. CRISTOBAL SECUE TOMBE, was a
victim of a criminal attempt against his life by a member of the Sixth Front
of FARC (the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), while he traveled from
his house to the regional office of the local Cabildo Office.in Corinto.
This criminal attack took place in Huasanó, in the municipality of Caloto.

2.       Cristóbal Secue Tombe, declared Master of Wisdom by UNESCO, the
United Nation's Organization for Education, Science and Culture, is one of
our most representative leaders; a founder and President of CRIC (Consejo
Regional Indígena del Cauca-Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca), governor
of the Toribío and Corinto cabildos, Coordinator of the NASA project in
Toribío, President and legal representative of the ACIN (Asociación de
Cabildos Indígena del Norte del Cauca - Association of Indigenous Cabildos
of Northern Cauca); and currently responsible for the coordination of
investigation of judicial and legal cases in Northern Cauca as established
by the special jurisdiction recognized within the 1991 Colombian
Constitution for the indigenous territories of Northern Cauca. In carrying
out his legal responsibilities he has been able to process and resolve
crimes such as: homicides, theft, and others sentencing delinquents, militia
and guerrilla members, and many others, as a result of which he has been
subject to constant threats.

3.       On the 3 of April and in the municipality of Toribío, the Sixth
Front of FARC, has accused -in written documents placed in public spaces-
the indigenous governors of the Cabildos of Toribío and San Francisco:
Fernando Perdomo, Nelson Lemus, Marco Yule (former Governor), Manuel Santos
Poto (Directive of the ASI -Indigenous Social Alliance), Calixto Musicue,
Arsenio Ascue, Alcibiades Ñuscue, Herney Gallo and other community members,
of being paramilitaries. A false accusation that has been recurrently used
by this GUERRILLA organization as a strategy to murder indigenous leaders as
was the case of Marden Arnulfo Betancourt and José Diego Vitonas.

4.       The previous day (April 2) as we were bringing to a close the
eleventh Congress of the Indigenous Cabildos of Cauca in La María Piendamó,
with the participation of more than 7000 people, an event where we condemned
massacres, forced disappearances and attacks by the guerrillas; and all
sorts of human rights violations against indigenous people and other social
sectors; but today we have to regret this cowardly and humiliating attack
against the indigenous movement of Cauca and Colombia. At the same time we
condemn and reject the forced disappearances of our community members Israel
Vitonás, Saulo Mosquera, Noponuceno Largo, in Santander de Quilichao and
Caloto and the massacres perpetrated by the paramilitaries in places such as
San  Pedro  - Canoas, urban and rural communities around Santander de
Quilichao, Buenos Aires, Timba, Suáres, el Palo, Caloto, Ortega - Cajibío,
El Tambo, Miranda y Rosas, all within the Cauca province. The National
government of Colombia has demonstrated its negligence, inefficiency and
absence of any results from routine investigations.

5.       We call upon the National Government and the International
Community to put an end to the massacres and forced disappearances that are
taking place and we request the support of the Human Rights Organizations at
the National and International level to participate as observers in our
communities in order to deter armed actors from committing more crimes which
continuously sadden our indigenous territories. Armed actors are involving
us in their conflict and forcing us to join one or the other faction.

6.       As indigenous authorities, we will continue to construct and defend
our life project with our communities maintaining our authority in the midst
of this conflict. We invite the people of Colombia to join in a common front
against armed actors through UNITY, ORGANIZATION AND SOLIDARITY.

Corinto, April 02, 2001


[*] Cabildos are a form of ancestral indigenous organization, which involves
a territory, a community and its cultural, political, social and economic
authorities.

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THE CANADA-COLOMBIA SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN
LA CAMPAÑA SOLIDARIA CANADÁ-COLOMBIA
http://www.gratisweb.com/colombiacrisis
Email: colombiacrisis@latinmail.com
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