Centerpiece

U’wa image abroad not matched at home

Colombia

Earlier this year, Colombia’s U’wa Indians issued an urgent communiqué to report that 5,000 soldiers had invaded their territory “at the service of Occidental [Petroleum].” “We are being surrounded,” said the Jan. 20 communiqué, posted on the website of the U.S. environmental group Amazon Watch. The tribe warned that its “physical integrity” was at risk. But Colombia’s press remained silent. Military analysts mocked the reports. And the regional commander, Gen. Luís Hernando Barbosa, said only 200 to 300 soldiers had been sent to protect Occidental equipment outside U’wa territory. “The largest military operation in modern Colombian history was carried out by 1,200 troops against heavily-armed guerrillas, not by 5,000 troops against a group of peaceful Indians,’’ he said. The divided realities speak volumes about... [Log in to read more]

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