A group of 24 settlers who had occupied communal lands and plots belonging to Mayangna indigenous people of the Masuwás community, located in the center of the Bosawas Reserve, in Bonanza, North Caribbean region of Nicaragua, were arrested and transferred to the Jorge Navarro prison, known as “The model”The National Police reported this Friday.
“Those captured were sent to the order of the competent authorities for their prosecution for the crimes of organized crime, usurpation of private domain and environmental crimes,” he said. the Police in a press release.
The arrest of these settlers, 22 men and two women, occurred days after the authorities of the Mayagna Sauni As Autonomous Territorial Government denounced the invasion of settlers in their territory, which led to a confrontation between the indigenous people and the invaders. Consequently, two indigenous natives were injured with magic weapons.
The day before the attack, which occurred on January 19, they had reported the kidnapping of a Mayangna ranger who was patrolling their territory.
“Our community members are peaceful, tolerant people and even with the invasion and expropriation of their plots over the years they have not opted for violence, rather they have gone to the public order authorities, but until now there has been no attention on the detention of the denounced and accused. Faced with this extremely serious situation, when life is in danger, the community members resort to self-defense methods,” reported the territorial government.
According to the Police, at the time of the capture the settlers were carrying “sharp and blunt objects, machetes, sticks and stones”. These were transferred to Managua, in the Pacific of the country, on Thursday, January 26.
The environmentalist Amaru Ruiz pointed out on his Twitter account that this is the first time that the authorities have captured the settlers. The arrest occurred after the territorial government made public complaints that forced an inter-institutional commission to reach Musawás. At the meeting, the indigenous people received the delegation with banners in which they asked for justice and sanitation of their territories.
2/4 The indigenous communities received the delegation with banners asking for justice and the sanitation of their territories. After the seizure of settlers from the Alal community, the indigenous people had captured about 4 settlers who were handed over to the police.#SOSNicaragua pic.twitter.com/IK8JH2ZG1D
—Amaru Ruiz (@AmaruRuiz) January 27, 2023
“As a result of this action, today the Police issued a statement indicating the capture of 24 people. Although in the indicated crimes they do not speak of invasion of communal territories, this would be the first time that an arrest has occurred for the processes of invasion of indigenous territory”, considers Ruiz.
It also adds that during the previous confrontation, the indigenous people had captured four of the settlers and they handed them over to the Police.
Miskitus and Magnas had pronounced weeks ago
In early January, a group of 14 leaders, representatives of indigenous territories, and traditional authorities of Miskito and Mayangna origin published a proclamation in which they denounced violations of their territories, customs, and traditions by local and national authorities that fail to comply with their promises and protect invaders.
“Do not leave us alone in this fight, intervene with the Government of Nicaragua to stop the massive destruction,” they said and then called on Daniel Ortega, “to start fulfilling his commitments to evict the massive invasion of the invading settlers and destroyers in indigenous territories”.
In the proclamation they pointed out to the local and national authorities to cover up the settlers who have caused destruction and deaths in their territories. “For the governments on duty we are a racial waste that must be thrown away,” they said.
The invasions of settlers in indigenous territories left 11 natives murdered in 2021, according to data from the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (Acnudh).
A report from the Center for Justice and Human Rights of the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua (Cejudhcan) detailed that in the 2010s until January 2021, approximately a thousand Miskito indigenous people were forcibly displaced to other communities, some bordering Honduras. , as well as 46 cases of kidnapping, four disappearances, 49 injured people, eight injured in armed attacks and two girls attacked.
The Center for Justice and International Law (Cejil) has warned that the indigenous populations of Nicaragua are at risk of being exterminated by the constant invasion of their territories.
Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples in Nicaragua live in 304 communities established in 23 territories, the majority in the poorest and most isolated areas of the country, according to official data.
**With information from EFE**
