Eighteen Indigenous communities dissapeared beneath tons of mud and
rock after a massive earthquake registering 6.3 on the Richter scale struck
northern Colombia's remote Cauca region which is inhabited primarily by
Indigenous people. The quake struck on June 6, with its epicenter close to the
town of Torbio, releasing a series of debris slides and flooding of the Paez
and Moras rivers. The list of dead, dissapeared and injured grows daily.
Indigenous organizations report that government aid to the survivors has been
slow and totally insufficient, and that many injured have not received
treatment and that people are dying from infection. Official
calculations,acknowledge 857 deaths and close to 15,000 injured, but there is
no precise information on the number of victims or the conditions of the
survivors. A leader of the Vitaco Indigenous reserve site of a major avalanche,
claimed that at least half of the 4,000 Indigenous inhabitants of this locality
had been buried.
The National System for Prevention and Attention to Disasters
announced that "given the magnitude of the quake' aftershocks, new rockslides
could fall from the Nevado del Huila [mountains] which could cause increases in
the Paez river's levels." In turn this could result in the flooding of more
communities. On the 9 of June, the affected communities were again panicked by
tremors with intensities varying from 4.0 to 4.8 on the Richter scale.
Emergency aid provided by Colombians and international organizations
has been essential in saving hundreds of unprotected Indigenous people's lives.
However, the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC) calls for
individuals and agencies to take into account, not only the immediate
situation, but also the communities future. Of particular concern has been a
campaign, promoted by portions of the national press, for the adoption of
Indigenous children by people outside the region. This is an attack on the
autonomy for which Indigenous communities have struggled for years.
Additionally, ONIC is concerned with the process of resettling those who have
been displaced from their land, stating, "land isn't just a material element,
but the essence of their cultures".
Its recovery has cost many lives, as well as much pain and suffering. Now,
the displaced people find themselves set back to step one. Delimitation of new
Indigenous reserves is urgently needed. Its also critical to urge governments
who are supplying aid that these funds be channelled through Indigenous
organizations in a way that establishes a true network of solidarity with the
affected communities. The Colombian government has been slow to recognize
Indigenous organizations jurisdiction within the disaster area.
ONIC's Executive Committee and the Regional Indigenous Council of
Cauca (CRIC) is urgently international aid and solidarity. In order to send
information regarding the possibilities for support in this state of emergency
communicate with CRIC at Fax: 928-233893.
Donations can be sent directly to the ONIC bank account in Colombia:
BANCO DE BOGOTA, Cuenta No. 051-06327-9, DAMNIFICADOS INDIGENAS DEL
CAUCA-ONIC. Or in the US, to: ABYA YALA FUND, c/o Tides Foundation,
DAMNIFICADOS INDIGENAS DEL CAUCA-Colombia, 1388 Sutter St. 10 floor, San
Francisco CA 94109