South America’s Colombia and Ecuador have launched a joint warning system designed to protect indigenous Awa communities from attacks by armed groups in the border area between the two countries.
The development was announced by human rights ombudsmen from the two countries, which they said is designed to alert government and military officials in each country to potential attacks.
In a Twitter post, office of the Colombian ombudsman, Carlos. Camargo said “The presence of illegal armed groups and organized crime in the border region of Ecuador and Colombia has had humanitarian consequences, especially for the nearly 29,000 members of the large Awa family who live in the area”.
Reports have it that as illegal business activities such as mining encroach on areas that indigenous communities call home, violence and intimidation by armed groups and criminal organizations often followed.
According to Camargo, Awa communities have faced killings, forced displacement and the threat of land mines. Children are also a target for recruitment by the armed groups.
In his words, 14 members of the indigenous community were killed last year and about 10,000 were displaced or imprisoned as a result of the violence.
Local reports have it that armed groups — including dissidents from the now-disbanded Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels — operate near the border with Ecuador, as do drug trafficking groups.
Records have it that in Colombia, leftist President Gustavo Petro has continued negotiations with armed groups, including the ELN, after decades of internal conflict.
Camargo added that “The ability to conduct their operations along a porous border — with gaps in the presence of the state — favors the interests of illegal groups”.
He called on armed groups to end violence and stop attacks on indigenous communities.
On his part, Ecuador’s human rights ombudsman, Cesar Cordova Valverde said “We want to warn the Colombian state and the Ecuadorian state about these human rights violations … so that the necessary urgent measures are taken to prevent the violations from continuing”.
It is germane to note that throughout Latin America, indigenous communities with a long history of violent persecution continue to face threats from a variety of actors.
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