Last Wednesday, August 28, President Gustavo Petro announced a peace agreement between the indigenous people of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, referring to the political division within the people of Arhuaco.
“I ask the indigenous people of the Sierra for a peace agreement because the heart of the world must be a place of peace, without weapons,” said the president from Nabusímake (Pueblo Bello), the capital of Arhuaco.
However, the head of state said that part of the instability would be based on public actions and electoral dynamics: “Here, the Government and politicians like votes and they want mutual relations and they don’t understand it. ” causing with the power of the Government and public funds the disaster of the indigenous group and community in the country.”
The answer
From another place in the Sierra, in Sabana Crespo, the city of Valledupar, the mamos, the leaders of Arhuaco took advantage of the visit of the Minister of Culture, Art and Knowledge, Juan David Correa (who made sure that he shared the call for unity ) the recent weekend to present his positions and send a message to the president.
“From here we see that the only action by the Government that is encouraging is feeding, the rightful share of the people, which comes more from the outside, because you can see the unity here,” said Rigoberto Torres, the Territorial coordinator of the Indigenous Confederation of Tayrona, to Correa, paraphrasing the message of the Mamos.
From this region they recognize Zarwawiko Torres as the ruling council, while other political parties, led by former council member José María Arroyo, denied his election and managed to cancel it.
“He had registration for a year and then it was cancelled, from there, what the Court did was to ban it permanently and ordered a new Assembly to be held, that was done and Zarwawiko’s election was confirmed, but he said the process was not heard by. The Ministry of the Interior, the competent entity to register the rulers of the indigenous people,” recalled the coordinator.
Is the Government listening to all parties?
Before about 500 indigenous people received by the minister, the indigenous speaker said that the Government had only communicated with some members of the people of Arhuaco, the same ones who, according to him, although they the coordination of community issues “that do not belong to the people”, a reason that would explain the ‘bad attendance’ at the president’s latest visit.
“In this last coming of the president, he did not get the support of more than 200 members of the people of Arhuaco because the authorities with which he informs are not legitimate authorities, the one who was the authority at the time, Rogelio Torres, and the man who had a direct influence today is the only human rights ambassador to the United Nations that the Government has (Leonor Zalabata), she has pushed for him not to able to record the new direction,” said Torres in an interview with EL PILÓN.
“There is no separation”: Torres
Torres insisted that there is no management crisis, but he urged the president and his cabinet of ministers to communicate directly with “the structure of the people themselves” and the group that has a seat at the table permanent consultation at national level, Indigenous Confederation of Tayrona.
“Within the people of Arhuaco there is unity, there is no division, but there are those who say there is division, some leaders who have contact with the Government, who have access to the media and some ‘ officials, but really there is no division among the people. the region, That speaks politically, but in practice, within the people, there is no such division,” said the lawyer.
However, the president said in Nabusímake that the differences must be resolved by the people of Arhuaco themselves, understanding their independence, in which other voices of consultation agree.
By Andrea Guerra Peña / EL PILÓN
