Last Updated on November 23, 2013
Here’s an October 23rd report from Democracy Now on the Indigenous and popular mobilization in Colombia.
10,000-strong, the movement of indigenous people, campesinos, sugar cane workers, Afro-Colombian communities, and others who demand the transformation of Colombia, have been marching down the Pan-American Highway since Tuesday.
They are headed to the city of Cali, where they will reiterate their opposition to the militarization of their territories, the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, and, among other issues, the failure of Uribe’s government to fulfill a number of agreements with indigenous communities. The march is expected to arrive some time this weekend.
Democracy Now’s report features interviews with Rafael Coicué, an indigenous leader from Northern Cauca, who’s currently in Washington to testify before the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights; and Mario Murillo, a professor of communications at Hofstra University and author of the book, Colombia and the United States: War, Terrorism and Destabilization. Living in Colombia, Mario has been providing regular updates on the mobilization at mamaradio.blogspot.com
To watch the report, you will need Real Player installed on your computer. If you don’t have it installed or would rather download an mp3 of the show, you can head over to this page on Democracy Now .
Across the world right now, Indigenous peoples are facing a renewed assault on their lands, rights, and ways of life.
From extractive industries pushing deeper into ancestral territories, to governments rolling back hard-won protections,
the threat is global—and it is growing.
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