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Cauca Indians ask Army and Guerrillas to leave their lands

By Manuel Rueda, Editorial Director

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Inhabitants of the indigenous reservation of Tacueyo are demanding that the Colombian Army and the FARC guerrillas leave their lands, after fighting between both groups has led to the deaths of three indigenous civilians over the past ten days. 

Tacueyo is located in the northern part of Cauca department and on the western flank of the Cordillera Central mountain range.  The mountains around the area have long served as a hiding place for the FARC and as a strategic spot located just a couple hours away from the city of Cali.

The original inhabitants of the area, the Nasa Indians, complain that recent incursions by the Colombian army have intensified violence in the area, leaving rural populations exposed to the crossfire.

“The war is jeopardising the lives of our men and women, and in general the whole life plan of the Nasa people and that is something our authorities are not willing to permit” said a communiqué by the reservation´s authorities.

The Colombian army states it is chasing the FARC guerrillas in the central mountains as part of its efforts to secure control of the area, and as part of its efforts to stop drug trafficking. 

Indigenous authorities oppose mining projects in the area as it is rich in water and mineral resources, but they also urge their people not to grow coca leaf and sell it to the FARC guerrillas who run cocaine labs nearby.

However, some inhabitants of indigenous reservations in northern Cauca have participated in the drug trade as coca leaf growers, claiming it is the most viable way to make a living in an area where jobs are scarce.

Local media report that the three that died in the recent combat, perished from a stray bullet, a grenade that landed in a house and also from the impact of a home-made explosive made by the FARC.