Jorge Quispe / La Paz
Yesterday, the National Institute for Agrarian Reform (INRA) evicted the Valle Verde Mennonite colony in San José de Chiquitos, Santa Cruz, from its land for occupying state land. The deputy of Cree María René Álvarez and a lawyer denounced that the action favors sectors related to the MAS.
Through a statement, INRA corroborated: “We inform the public that the eviction process in this case has been going on for six months, which implies administrative and legal processes, in coordination with the Iniaf (National Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Innovation). ) and the departmental command”.
Freddy Gamboa, a lawyer from this neighborhood, pointed out that the conflict began six months ago and that INRA now favors interculturalists.
“Intercultural groups, the peasant federation, INRA, the Vice Ministry of Lands and more than 300 police officers have come to the Valle Verde Mennonite colony to evict them and take away their farmed land,” he denounced.
According to Gamboa, in the Mennonite colony there are more than 130 families in 20,000 hectares (has) and now a peasant community has appeared, backed by INRA and the intercultural Movement for Socialism (MAS).
Álvarez, deputy for Cree, wrote on Twitter. “They revert lands of Mennonite communities to hand them over to interculturalists who are part of the armed militias,” she specified.
