The Wayuu communities settled on the banks of the Bruno
Stream and other social organizations gathered on Saturday February 7 in the
ancestral ranchería of Paredero, of the Municipality of Albania, La Guajira.
The objective of this meeting was to discuss the claims of Cerrejón that, with
the complicity of the government of Juan Manuel Santos, wants to divert the Bruno
Stream, one of the tributaries of the Rancheria River, with the sole purpose of
the increase of profit of multinational corporations. As a result, we give the
following public communique form La Guajira, Colombia:
For the Wayuu, the water, as it is the Bruno Stream, means
the veins of Wounmain - Our territory - that is in charge of fertilizing the
cultural riches, including what allows us to have food sovereignty and life
itself.
Recall that in 2012, we, together with peasants,
Afro-descendants, and all the Guajiro people, managed to defeat the claims of
Cerrejón to divert our great Rancheria River through civil resistance- large
forums, rallies, demonstrations and blockades.
Mining in La Guajira has only been serving the multinational
companies owning Cerrejon, which have achieved operating profit up to 59%,
while its surrounding population, being 53.5% Wayuu, presents the most
precarious living conditions: 53.9% do not have access to any services. In
terms of water, we get our supply from jagüeyes (35.7%), wells with pump (19.3%),
rivers or streams (13.4% ), and only 11.4% of aqueduct. Meanwhile, 56.9% of Wayuu do not have any education,
27.2% achieved basic primary, and only 12.4% have basic secondary level.
In addition, this multinational mine has stripped us of our
natural resources and our ancient territories. In their intervention of 12,000
hectares of Tropical Dry Forest, they have destroyed our sacred sites, polluted
the environment, and destructed our water bodies.
We, the Indigenous communities surrounding the Bruno Stream,
are not opposed to employment and resources coming from royalties, much less to
the progress and development of all the peasants. However, we oppose the fact
that these are carried out at the expense of the destruction of biodiversity,
water resources, and life itself.
For over thirty years the Wayuu have received false promises
of development, progress and redemption of the national government and
multinationals whose actions have only been translated into abuses, changing
our agricultural and pastoral vocation, high poverty, and dispossession of our
ancestral lands. This is why the arguments used by Cerrejón and the Government
of Santos to divert the stream are stories to deceive fools.
Given the above, we have taken the following decisions:
1. Form a committee to organize and implement the Peaceful
Long March of Wayuu People in Defense of Water, land and life, on 13th
of March.
2. We propose the Civic Committee for the Dignity of La
Guajira to study the feasibility of a popular where the Guajiros can freely and
democratically express their opinion and their position in relation to transnational
mining, and whether it destroys life or not.
3. We are determined and enthusiastic to collaborate and join the forum, marches and
the Strike convened to reject the sinister claims of Cerrejón and the
Government of Santos to divert the Bruno Stream.
4. We call upon indigenous organizations and leaders of the
Guajira, Colombia and the world, to support and show solidarity with the just
struggles of the Wayuu people in defense of water, land, life and sovereignty.
Organizations signing:
Junta
Autónomo Mayor de Palabreros.
Comunidad
Ancestral De La Horqueta 1 –Jurisdicción Municipio de
Albania.
Comunidad Ancestral De La horqueta 2 – Jurisdicción
Municipio de Albania
Comunidad
ancestral paradero –Jurisdicción Municipio de Albania
Comunidad
ancestral Sipa –Jurisdicción Municipio
de Manaure
Comunidad
ancestral la Gran parada –Jurisdicción Municipio de Maicao
Comunidad
ancestral Resguardo Indígena Wayuu el
Zahino.
Comunidad
Ancestral de patsuarrali- Jurisdicción Municipio de Albania.
Movimiento Fuerza
de Mujeres Wayuu- Sutsuin Jiyeyu Wayuu
Federación de
Comunidades Negras afectadas por la Gran minería –FECODEMIGUA.
Junta Social Pro
Reubicación de Tabaco.
Comité Cívico por
la Dignidad de la Guajira.
Red Colombiana
Frente a la Gran Minería, Reclame.
Movimiento Ríos
Vivos
Colectivo de
Diseño la Colmena
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