Since long time ago there has been a conflict between the Colombian guerrilla and the different ethnic groups, which is very serious and harmful for the indigenous population in many ways.The guerrilla is always going after the indigenous territories and richness, which has increased the violence and the degradation of both the environment and the quality of life for these groups. There are territories like the Cauca Department where the conflict is very concerning because of the attacks that have left thousands of people dead and many survivors in big trouble.
In particular there are two communities where the constant attacks from the guerilla have caused many problems, Torolito and Awa. For this reason, international organizations such as the United Nations (UN) and Unicef are aware of this situation and contributed with important tips to the Colombian government, like to “adopt politics to ensure the compliance of the rights of the indigenous people,” and improve the operation of community defenders and control systems.
In the Awa ethnic case, this is an extremely poor community, affected also by the urbanization and developments in their territories. According to an investigation made by the UN, the 28.6% of this population is in a near to death condition, and as per Unicef, more than the 70% of the children of this community suffer from malnutrition. This demonstrates the bad conditions in which the guerrilla can leave a society.
Another serious problem that has been identified is the political influence that the guerrilla has over the communities. They try to convince the people to join them and agree with them. The indigenous are very vulnerable and the guerrilla takes advantage of it. Guerrillas such as the FARC say they are protecting the communities, but many testimonies from the indigenous population confirm the opposite.
In conclusion, this is a problem that has been going on over 60 years and is still happening. Too many people have died and too many resources have been lost. Everyone hopes that the government´s Peace Process helps to relief this situation and finally bring it to an end.
Lorenzo Becerra
Armed Conflict | Guerrilla
6