The authorities of several indigenous communities have blocked the main roads in the department of La Guajira, in the extreme north of Colombia, after announcing an indefinite strike to demand measures against the death of children from malnutrition in the region.
«We are exercising our right to social protest, for the right to life of the Wayuu people and the survival of our territory,» said Javier Rojas, leader of the indigenous organization Shipia Wayuu, as reported by RTVC radio station.
The protesters have blocked the highways between several departments – Magdalena and Cesar – as well as the border with Venezuela. They have also blocked a commercial railroad line and the entrances to territories with renewable energy projects.
The mobilization has been organized following the death of 85 Wayú minors in 2022, according to the National Health Institute (INS), the highest figure in the last twelve years, reports the newspaper ‘El Tiempo’.
«The sentence (…) of 2017 of the Constitutional Court that declared the state of unconstitutional things in the municipalities of Riohacha, Manaure, Uribia and Maicao is not being complied with, and this could lead us to the extermination of the Wayuu people,» indicate the indigenous authorities through a statement.
For this reason, they ask the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, for a direct dialogue to develop immediate actions in compliance with the ruling of justice, since they «distrust» the local authorities.
Rojas has assured that «the president makes announcements, makes forceful decisions, but his officials and the institutions go like a loose wheel on the other side, doing what they think is convenient».
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
