Some 1,200 Indigenous peoples from Colombia’s southwestern departments are gathering peacefully in Bogotá’s Plaza de Bolívar for a third consecutive day, demanding a meeting with President Gustavo Petro to discuss violence in their territories and the government’s unfulfilled commitments with the implementation of the 2016 Peace Accord with ex-FARC.
Representatives of the Misak, Inga, Kamsá, Nasa, and Guambiano peoples arrived on Monday in their brightly painted rural buses – chivas – and have set up a temporary encampment in the historic square. Using plastic sheets for shelter, they have organized communal kitchens to provide food for demonstrators, as heavy rains continue to lash the city.
The protesters, who have maintained a peaceful presence in the square, say they do not feel represented by the country’s larger Indigenous organizations, which have traditionally led government negotiations. They also point to internal divisions within Indigenous communities as further complicating their demands.
Cauca, Putumayo, and Nariño – departments that border Ecuador – are among Colombia’s most conflict-ridden regions, where Indigenous communities and vulnerable communities endure persistent threats from illegal armed groups. In recent weeks, FARC dissidents and National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla have escalated their violent attacks, including bombings and armed clashes with security forces in at least 10 municipalities of Cauca.
As the indians wait for their petitions for peace to be heard by the leftist administration, they will continue their demonstration at the heart of the Colombian capital, which has been mostly peaceful, despite several acts of vandalism against the city’s public transportation system, TransMilenio, and sporadic blocking of roads in the historic center of Bogotá.
