lima, aug 25 (ips) -- the leader of a group of amazonian indians
has urged the government to give his people weapons to defend
themselves and avenge the murder of 56 members of their
community, massacred by guerrillas last week.
''my brothers died like defenceless animals, their throats
cut, because they had no arms to defend themselves,'' said
valentin vega pazos, chief of 180 ashaninka communities in peru's
amamzonian forest.
he explained that the ashaninkas had ''agreed to form
(anti-guerrilla) peasant militias in their villages. the
government offered them weapons, but they still have not been
given them,'' vega, whose indian name is fecunac, told a tv
reporter in lima.
clothed in his 'cushma' -- full-length ashaninka garb -- and
adorned with his chiefly attributes, vega pazos was in lima doing
business on behalf of his communities when sendero luminoso
guerrillas attacked six ashaninka villages on aug. 20, apparently
because they had agreed to cooperate with the authorities.
the guerrillas killed 56 adults while they tortured and
mutilated about 20 children and old people. four children whose
ears were hacked off with machetes were brought to lima.
survivors said there were ashaninkas from other areas among
the some 60 sendero guerrillas.
vega called on the authorities to help him form a contingent
of ''a thousand ashaninka warriors.'' ''we know the forest better
than anyone. we can go with the soldiers and make them pay in
blood for the massacre, but they have to give us weapons,'' he
said.
''we want a thousand repeater rifles, like those given to
communities in the mountains and other parts of the forest. they
have only given us promises,'' he added.
but the possibility that ashaninkas from other areas may have
participated in the massacre has led the catholic church and some
analysts to ask the government to exercise caution in arming
peasant militias in the forest.
the peasant militias, formed by the security forces, have
succeeded in blocking sendero's movements in the central andes,
which had been the guerrillas' stronghold.
to some extent, they have been the reason why the guerrillas
have switched the bulk of their operations from the mountains to
the capital, where the police have captured most of their
leaders. (more)
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but analysts warn that if mixed contingents of soldiers and
forest dwellers are formed, this could lead the ashaninkas to
settle their accounts in blood, an ancient custom of this ethnic
group, and spark an unending vendetta between communities.
''the army has to protect the communities and, in any case,
the peasant militia that are formed should confine themselves to
organising their defence, but not be involved in punitive
operations in other areas,'' said insurgency specialist carlos
tapia. (end/ips/trd/so/al-rh/kb/93)
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