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Venezuela: We denounce the eviction of indigenous lands

kütraltun | 13.03.2007 14:43 | Ecology | Social Struggles | Zapatista

Venezuela: We denounce the eviction of indigenous lands

We denounce the eviction of the indigenous families from their traditional land by the Venezuelan state and the multinational coal companies.

We, the indigenous Wayuu, inhabitants of the river basins SOCUY, MACHE and CACHIRI in La Sierra de Perija, in the state of Zulia, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, wish to inform the women and men of the world that our people, the Yukpa and the Bari, will be evicted by the national government of Venezuela, so that our land can be given over to the transnational coal companies, because the big imperial monster needs more cheap coal to plague the people of the world with hunger, misery and death.

In the 21st century Socialism cannot exist in our country without us, the indigenous, and without us having the right to autonomous territory free from mines and rich landowners. This has only been expressed by a few people in legal papers, but as this goes against the interests of the mining, oil and gas capital, and the interests of the rich landowners, today they are trying to eliminate these rights with the racist tale of sovereignty and the united mother country, as if we the indigenous aren't also sons and daughters of the gods Maleiwua, Guaicaipuro and Bolivar.

At the moment the national goverment, through its Corporation for the Development of the Zulia Region (Corpozulia), and together with operators from transnational companies, is heading the final onslaught against our humble indigenous families. They are forcing us to sell them our lands in a "nice way", just like some years ago when they came and opened the Paso Diablo Mine and the Norte Mine in the mining area of the river Guasare, and more recently, the Las Carmelitas Mine near the Los Tres Rios river.

We denounce the genocide and ecocide (environmental destruction) in the foothills of `La Sierra de Perija’ in the area that borders Colombia, on the western side of the end of the great mountain range, the Cordillera de los Andes, that is taking place at the hands of Corpozulia, Carbozulia, Anglo American Coal, Inter-American Coal ,Peabody, Carbonifera Canyo Seco represented by the ex-president of Telecom Eiram, Brendan Hynes of Ireland, Corporacion de Carbon Perija de Chile represented by Maria Victoria Quiroga M. and Alvaro Guell V , Energy Resource, amongst others.

The Indigenous Organisatiton of Wayuu del Socu and Mache Maikiratasalii


AUTONOMOUS INDIGENOUS LANDS
FREE FROM MINES AND LANDOWNERS

kütraltun