Southern Bolivar Province United in Defense of Their Land

I have recently return from a accompaniment with the Southern Bolivar Agricultural- Mining Communities. I was with the communities for 3 days while the waited for a meeting with the government to dialogue about many of the social, land, and human rights issues in the region. The government never showed up though the government suggested the dates of the meeting. Therefore the communities released this press release, from the VI Assembly of Southern Bolivar Agricultural- Mining Communities and dated August 18th, 2009, announces that the Assembly has declared itself to be permanently convened until the National government agrees to send a commission to solve the problems that the region faces.

Southern Bolivar Province United in Defense of Their Land

Beginning August 16, members of various communities of southern Bolivar province gathered in the town of Arenal for the Sixth Assembly of Southern Bolivar Agricultural- Mining Communities.

This assembly opened doors for the reunion of different communities of Southern Bolivar province who in the course of their history have been victims of various and ongoing human rights violations, but in spite of all this maintain their unity as one region looking to defend their territory and their dignity. In attendance were more than 400 representatives of different social organizations from 12 municipalities throughout the region.

During three days of dialogue, the communities reflected on the problems of their region, emphasizing topics such as the human rights situation, displacement from land, and the investment of the State through local and national public administration. Their work, fellowship and joy, an expression of their culture, characterized the Assembly. The result was a diagnosis of the situation in the region and a shared plan of action for the communities, with the goal of holding fast to their territory and to a dignified life.

Delegates confirmed that state persecution of local social organizations persists, along with forced displacement, assassinations and other acts of terror, as a way to guarantee that communities are stripped of their land. These tactics advance the interests of large multinational corporations, who are determined to establish monocultures such as oil palm and large-scale mining operations. The Assembly rejected the political and legal decision to end artisanal mining, and reaffirmed that food sovereignty and the region’s environment are threatened by the large-scale invasion and exploitation of natural resources on the part of those multinationals.

Besides the above, communities denounced the behavior of the State in reference to eradication of illegal crops such as coca (used in the production of cocaine) without caring what harm they may cause the communities by not offering them a viable and long-term program of crop substitution. The current eradication uproots not only the coca plants but also food crops, causing the people hunger and risk of displacement.

An important point in the agenda of the Assembly of the Agricultural- Mining Communities was the evaluation of the process of dialogue with the State. This evaluation concluded that the communities reject the government’s lack of commitment to this process and its systematic failure to fulfill agreements made.

The decision to hold the VI Assembly in Arenal was made because a new meeting of the Southern Bolivar Round table for Dialogue with the Government was scheduled for August 20 and 21 in this municipality. While the Assembly met, they received news that the Government had unilaterally postponed the stated meeting until August 29 and moved it to another municipality, under the pretext that Arenal does not have a runway for the light aircraft of the State functionaries.

In light of the behavior of the Public Administration in their lack of will to respect the true space of dialogue, the Assembly made the decision to declare itself in permanent Assembly, remaining in the municipality until the government sends a commission with decision-making power to provide a solution to the various problems.


VI Assembly of Southern Bolivar Agricultural- Mining Communities
Southern Bolivar Province, Arenal Municipality
18th of August 2009