"Long ignored by government and targeted by both far-right paramilitary outlaws and Marxist rebels, Indians in the southern province of Cauca showed signs of a new militancy five years ago, when they launched a program of passive resistance against combatants in Colombia's 41-year-old guerrilla war.
"Emboldened by their partial success in using only ceremonial sticks and stubbornness to drive away armed fighters, the Indians of Cauca have now launched a bid to force the government to hand over land they say it promised them in 1971.
"About 2,000 Indians chose the symbolically charged date of October 12 -- Columbus Day, which commemorates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas and the beginning of European settlement -- to invade 19 farms, with a total area of 10,000 acres, owned by absentee landowners in Cauca.
"The Indians say they will stay on the farms, which include the historic Hacienda Japio cattle ranch which once gave shelter to South American independence hero Simon Bolivar, until the government hands over 545,000 acres of land they say is theirs by tradition. They say the land has religious significance, as part of 'Mama Kiwe' or Mother Earth.
"At first, the police tried to kick them out, using batons and tear gas. But the Indians fought back with slingshots, stones and sticks, surprising Colombians who are more used to seeing them as passive victims of conflict."
Post a Comment