Last Updated on June 18, 2014
There has been another attempt at forcefully evicting a family from their land — this time, in the Mendoza Province of Argentina. The Villa Atuel company claims land that the Cubillo family has lived on for nearly 60 years — and wants them off. But the company doesn’t even own the land in question, and everyone knows it—including the Peru Judiciary, though they were obliged to support the claim and order police to remove the family.
From Real World Radio – Real World Radio’s correspondents in Argentina Raquel Schrott and Ezequiel Miodownik, interviewed activist Manota from the Mendoza’s Rural Landless Workers Union. The activist talked about this particular incident and the evictions in the province.
“15 police officers and marines surrounded the family and told them to leave the tract. They took refuge inside the house until the government offered to move them to another tract. The sheriff gave them 15 days to leave, as long as the government provided them with a new tract. We believe that this is not very likely to happen”, Manota said.
He added that the field is not exactly productive, so the corporation only wants to demonstrate its power and the fact that it owns the entire department. It owns 10 thousand hectares of olive trees and does not want any peasants nearby.
The activist said he is concerned because “the mafia is taking over the zone”. He told RWR that the Spanish corporation destroyed two houses where two families lived, two years ago. The corporation also threatened to kidnap children and set other houses on fire.
“It is a very complex situation and the judiciary is an accomplice. We met 14 communities and all of them are undergoing similar conflicts”, Manota said.
The activist said the evictions prevent the development of an agrarian model related to their history and nature. Peasants believe that is the greatest cultural richness to design a development model that is different from the one they have now. The current model depends on the international market and has given them a specific role. Besides, it does not distribute richness and it is contaminating.
“We believe that the alternative is to study and strengthen the productive and life models of peasant and indigenous communities”, he said.
(source)
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.
What makes this moment especially dangerous is how little attention it receives.
Stories like this are disappearing in real time. Mainstream media
barely covers it and the coverage is fragmented. The public is left without the context
needed to understand what is truly at stake.
That is exactly why IC Magazine exists..
For more than 20 years, IC has reported on Indigenous struggles worldwide — consistently, independently, and without compromise.
We don’t follow news cycles; we trace patterns. We don’t sensationalize; we provide context.
And when the world looks away, we stay focused.
But this work is increasingly difficult to sustain.
We refuse to lock our reporting behind a paywall. We don’t sell access through subscriptions.
And we don’t answer to advertisers. IC Magazine survives solely because readers like you choose to
support independent Indigenous journalism.
Please donate today if you can. Every contribution helps us to continue this crucial work.
Thank you,
John Ahni Schertow
Founder and Editor in Chief
