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Colombia: The Bari people in defense of their
territory
The Bari people, a minority
belonging to the Arawak family known as the Children of the Forest,
inhabit the Catatumbo Basin in the north of the Department of
Santander. The Motilon Bari have a language known as Bari-ara
and their own internal and external political and social organization.
Their supreme authority is the Autonomous Council of Chiefs, comprising
23 Caciques (Chiefs) from the 23 communities of the Motilon indigenous
people. Their economy is geared towards self-sufficiency and therefore
the defence of their territory implies the defence of the natural
assets that are at the base of their existence.
Over the years, the Motilón Bari have suffered a constant loss
of territory to powerful trade interests that have sought to profit
from the wealth it contains. Their integrity was threatened once
again when in May 2005 the Ministry of the Environment authorized
ECOPETROL operations (see WRM Bulletin No. 106), in spite of the
many deficiencies appearing in the Environmental Impact Assessment
submitted initially.
However,
violation of the Bari People’s human rights does not cease there.
To the military presence on their territory supporting this mega-project
and affecting this people’s freedom of circulation and the holding
of cultural and subsistence activities, is now added their concern
over the central government’s intention to spray toxic chemicals
in the area and even in places such as natural parks. This
will affect the Bari territory, contaminating sources of water,
subsistence crops and the animal species on which the Bari feed,
finally affecting community members’ health.
Faced
by this situation, the Autonomous Council of Bari Chiefs, the
Colombian Association of Motilon Bari Communities “Asocbari”,
will hold an open meeting on 12 October at Tibu in the north of
Santander, under the slogan “We will pronounce ourselves in defense
of our territory”, with the aim of:
1. Convening
State authorities and institutions to obtain their commitment
to solve the Bari Indigenous People’s problems and to demand explanations
on the decisions they are taking that violate the Indigenous People’s
rights.
2.
Giving visibility to the serious violation of the Bari Indigenous
People’s rights, by ignoring our presence at Socbacaira, our ancestral
territory where the oil prospecting and exploitation project is
being carried out (Alamo Well I).
3. Submitting
to the authorities, institutions and Colombian State the following
requests:
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Recognition of the presence of the Bari People on their
ancestral territories
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Suspension of the implementation
of the Alamo I project for oil prospecting and exploitation
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Cancellation of Environmental Licence 0624 of 15 May 2005
to undertake prospecting of the Alamo I well, due to the irregular
way it was granted, inter alia, certification by the Ministry
of the Interior Division for Ethnic Groups that no indigenous
communities existed at Socbacayra, known as Alamo I by ECOPETROL
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That the Colombian State, Military Forces, ECOPETROL and
civilian and military and security bodies fulfil their constitutional
obligation to protect and guarantee the rights of the indigenous
peoples, that they cease violating these rights and take the necessary
steps to prevent this occurring in the future.
Call by Asocbari, e-mail:
puebloindigenabari@yahoo.es and
Corporación Colectivo de Abogados Luis Carlos Pérez, e-mail:
paraquehayajusticia@yahoo.es,
www.colectivodeabogadoslcp.org
