The latest events in the La Guitarra village, in the Mariangola district, in a month of conversations between 50 peasants who marched in chains in Valledupar, seeking to be given the lands promised by the Government, remind us of the long struggle for the land that He has lived in Colombia, and is also present in Cesar and La Guajira. Fortunately, an agenda of commitments was defined with the participation of the Attorney General’s Office, the ANT, URT, IGAC, among other organizations.
A silent battle is being waged in our territories, which involves indigenous communities, farmers, large companies and the State, and revolves around the possession and use of land. This problem has deep roots and has intensified in recent years, triggering a debate about justice, equity and sustainability in land tenure.
The conflict over land in Cesar and La Guajira manifests itself in several dimensions. On the one hand, there are the indigenous communities of Wayúu, Arhuacos, Koguis, Wiwas, Yukpas, among others, who have lived for generations depending on the land for their sustenance and their culture. Their access to land is essential for their way of life, and the defense of their ancestral territories, whose object of indigenous delimitation (lines) continues to be a topic of discussion.
On the other hand, we have some large companies, mainly in the mining and agribusiness sector, that have acquired vast tracts of land in the region. Some have not been rigorous with the environment and due consultation with local communities. In certain situations, the claims of indigenous people have been excessive, as recorded by the small but mistreated Yukpa population that has attempted, due to its self-proclaimed nomadic condition, when in reality they lived in the Perijá mountain range of Colombia and Venezuela, to extend their ancestral territory westward to the Caesar River.
The role of the State in this conflict is crucial and has prioritized economic interests over human and environmental rights, causing conflicts over land to persist.
The fight for land is a manifestation of a broader, global conflict between the exploitation of natural resources, the development and protection of the environment and the rights of local communities.
An agrarian reform to redistribute land in the department is underway, led by the Petro government, in agreement with Fedegán and, in general, rural owners. In Cesar there were 27,000 families requesting land until September (in Córdoba 53,000, Sucre 47,000, Magdalena 18,000, Guajira 8,000) which at an average rate of 10 hectares results in the need for commercial purchase of 270,000 hectares.
We doubt the administrative and budgetary capacity to achieve this in the Petro period, but we are attentive to being presented with a feasible multi-year program. A true transformation, multimillion-dollar if we include the large investment required on top of it, which can double the commercial value of the hectare, to make it truly productive.
