EL COLOMBIANO, EL LIBERAL (Colombia), EMOL (Chile)
Something akin to the suburban cry of “Not In My Back Yard!” (NIMBY) can be heard this week in the Colombian jungle. Indigenous leaders in the southwestern town of Toribio have demanded that both the Colombian security forces and the FARC rebels take their longstanding fight elsewhere, El Colombiano reports.
A four-day spate in violence this week led to serious property destruction for the indigenous living in the region, according to the regional website El Liberal. The UltimaHora site said the civilian toll was one dead and 15 wounded.
The Nasa people blame the increased presence of the security forces in the region for drawing in the rebels looking for a fight. Some locals removed police sandbags and emptied them in a nearby river.
In response to the indigenous outcry, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, visited with them in Tiribio late Wednesday, but refused to withdraw military forces from the area.
According to the Emol website in Chile, some 1,000 members of the Nasa indigenous people from the region of Cauca led a march against the recent clashes between the FARC rebels and the Colombian police. “We will expel armed groups in the territory,” said Marcos Yules the representative of the Nasa people. He also asked for the support of international organizations to help obtain a cease-fire.
