|
The government of Nicaragua is under intense heat to safeguard the right of the country’s Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples. A civic group, Land is Life, is strongly urging the government to protect lives, culture and collective ancestral heritage of the indigenous peoples.
The group in a statement says it is standing in solidarity with the indigenous Miskito and Mayangna peoples of Nicaragua, and condemns the recent massacre in their territories and communities
Land is Life was however, founded in June of 1992 in a forested valley in Brazil. Nearly 1,000 indigenous leaders from around the world had gathered in a village called Kari-Oca to contemplate the state of the world, to share their stories, and to encourage the leaders of the world’s governments and multilateral institutions, who were meeting in Rio de Janeiro for the United Nations Earth Summit, to take action to address the social and environmental crises facing humanity.
This historic gathering was a defining moment in the international movement for Indigenous peoples’ rights; the moment where many peoples’ struggles came together and became one. Two landmark documents were drafted there, the Indigenous Peoples’ Earth Charter, and the Kari-Oca Declaration, Land is Life was formed to support the grassroots’ pursuit of the objectives laid out in these documents.
Since its founding, Land is Life has played an important role in the struggles of Indigenous peoples around the world, working in partnership with communities to advance their rights locally, nationally and internationally.
Today, indigenous communities and organisations from around the world – from the heart of the Amazon, to the plains and forests of Africa, the islands of the Pacific, and the Arctic tundra – depend on the strategic, financial and moral partnership that Land is Life provides.
What began as an informal coalition has grown into a global movement. Together, we are working towards the day when Indigenous peoples will be recognized as valued members of the international community and are allowed to assume their rightful role as partners in the search for a more equitable, just and sustainable world.
‘’Together, we are helping humanity to awaken, so that we can remember how to live in a way that is responsible to future generations’’, the group says.
Local sources however, attest to a massacre that occurred on August 23rd, this time in a rural community in the Bosawas biosphere reserve.
This horrific event took place within the autonomous region of Nicaragua’s North Caribbean Coast, on the sacred hill of Kiwakumbaih, after settlers killed at least 12 members of the Miskito and Mayangna Indigenous peoples.
According to the group, ‘’we condemn all types of violent acts against the Miskito and Mayangna peoples and the continued brutality towards Indigenous peoples of Nicaragua. This violence has been recurrent due to both illegal and legal practices that include gold mining as well as the exploitation of other natural resources in Indigenous territories.
‘’We urgently call the Nicaraguan government, as well as international human rights organizations, to engage with other civil organisations and the Indigenous movement to carry out clear, transparent processes and to bring the appropriate solutions to counteract the horrific crime in the territories that are constitutionally recognized by the Nicaraguan state.’’
These rights, according to the group, are protected under Law 445, which provides special property and land rights for indigenous peoples: That national and international human rights organizations not only show solidarity with pronouncements, but also with technical assistance and necessary cooperation in the face of the demands of the populations.
Provide humanitarian and psychological assistance to Indigenous families and victims; carry out national marches demanding actions to protect and safeguard Indigenous territories; and call on different human rights organisations to ask the Nicaraguan government to comply with its legal obligations regarding the true protection of Indigenous territories and the environment.
Others include, take measures to make the State aware of the whereabouts of the criminals who committed these acts of hatred against Indigenous communities; and strengthen communication systems so that communities – through their natural leaders and authorities – can constantly report these happenings.
