Wayuu Solidarity Campaign: The Beginning

Wayuu Solidarity Campaign: A Woman’s Struggle for her People

Débora Barros Fince is an indigenous woman campaigning within Colombia and the United States to gain recognition of the massacre that took place against her people in April 2004. Débora’s family has been living in the area of Bahia Portete, Colombia for more than 500 years and considers this area to be her ancestral and cultural land, although the government has refused to recognize their claim. The Cerrejon Norte coal mine, the largest open pit mine in the world, is in the immediate area and the village is in the way of a planned mine expansion. Due to pressure from the World Bank and the international monetary fund to restructure its economy, the Colombian government sold its interest in the mine to a consortium consisting of Anglo American, BHP Billiton and Glencore (all multinational mining companies). This consortium then bought the remaining interest in the mine from Exxon in February 2002. Since the change in ownership Cerrejon has participated in the brutal intimidation of the local people in order to expand their mining interests, displacing whole villages without providing any restitution while publicly claiming to be deeply committed to the welfare of not only the local people but the local environment as well.

The massacre on Debora’s family took place in April 2004 leaving 12 people dead, 20 missing and another 300 displaced (they fled to bordering Venezuela). The massacre occurred early in the morning when about 150 military and 30 paramilitary came to the village. After summoning the tribe, they murdered 2 children and told them to leave their traditional land or there would be more killings. Among those killed by paramilitaries were Débora’s two brothers, aged 18 and 24 years. Her 24-year-old brother was shot dead in front of his mother. The Colombian government has denied any participation in the massacre and has yet to further investigate the situation, while Cerrejon is claiming that the people have peacefully returned to their land, although two years later the land is still abandoned with the majority of the villagers too afraid to return. Debora has also placed her life in danger by naming military officers who participated in the massacre and daring to speak out against the Colombian government and the paramilitary, while questioning Cerrejon’s possible involvement. Meanwhile her people are unable to return to their homes or to fully participate within their culture and yet nothing has been done to guarantee their safe return home. The slaughter of innocent people in any part of the world is tragic and infuriating. When it’s occurring with the support of the military and the government, it makes a mockery of the so called ‘international community’s’ commitment to peace and human rights as well as making a mockery of the US government’s commitment to freedom and human rights. Debora is pleading with the international community to recognize her people’s plight so that the Colombian government will be forced to take action in support of their claim.

Please see:  The Context of the Wayuu’s Struggle: A Brief History of Colombia