Peru's Achuar and Kichwa Indigenous Communities Defend Their Territory From Oil Pollution

[polly7]

Global Voices - Citizen media stories from around the world

Translation posted 21 February 2015 18:53 GMT

This post was originally published in Spanish on the author's blog Globalizado.

A new chapter in the eternal struggle of the Amazonian communities to defend their ancestral lands against oil pollution has opened. In late January, members from the Achuar and Kichwa indigenous communities, from the Corrientes and Tigre rivers basins in the Peruvian Amazon, took the Jibarito base of the Pluspetrol company, paralyzing the production of 14 oil wells, equivalent to a loss of approximately 3,100 barrels per day.

Another protest arose in the Tigre River, where the communities blocked the river as another measure of their indefinite strike, which to date has been going on for more than 30 days. Eight boats were held up in the middle of this blockade. All of these protest actions demand that Pluspetrol pay environmental compensations for the use of land and water in their communities, among other complaints.

These confrontations are taking place ahead of Pluspetrol’s contract with the state for lot 192, at the Jibarito base, expiring in August this year. A prior consultation should take place with the communities before the lot goes up for bid again. Moreover, the issue of land titling, where the Peruvian government refuses to give titles for land with “forestry capability” or for land given to oil companies, adds another level of complexity to the negotiations.

The Consultape blog, specialized in the subject of prior consultation, explains:

..........It should also be noted that the indigenous communities have little confidence in Pluspetrol, which systematically seeks to disregard agreements and decisions of both the communities and the state. An example is its policy of challenging the fines imposed for environmental pollution and the implementation of precautionary measures to avoid complying with the abandonment plans and others required by law.

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2015/02/21/perus-achuar-and-kichwa-indigenous-communities-defend-their-territory-from-oil-pollution/

[Judi Lynn]

1. If the elected government had actually meant to honor its agreement with the people living there,

it would have started its negotiations well before now. This really tells everything about its respect for the powerless indigenous people of Peru.

Sad beyond words.

Peru has a long, sad history of profound abuse of its indigenous population, completely racist. No doubt everyone expected things to go quite differently with its own indigenous President. Apparently the people with the real power are NOT indigenous, as it was before now. They have allowed him to live in the President's Palace only if he dances to their tune, like Alan Garcia.

[center]





Seems to afflict visiting Presidents, as well.... [/center]