Indigenous protest: Kukama, Urarina and Achuar peoples await PCM commission in Loreto until December 8

The Kukama and Urarina people, grouped in the Cocama Association for the Development and Conservation of San Pablo de Tipishca (Acodecospat), and the Achuar people, of the Federation of Native Communities of Corrientes (Feconaco), have mobilized for fifteen days to demand compliance with commitments by the national government regarding environmental care, safe territories, access to health, education, among other rights.

After approaching the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (PCM) to begin a dialogue with the Executive, the native organizations rescinded the announcement to completely paralyze river transport on the Marañón River. However, they specified that if the PCM commission does not arrive in San Pedro de Maypuco until December 8, they will radicalize their fighting measures.

Along these lines, they asked the Regional Government of Loreto to get involved in this understanding process in order to achieve a solution to their demands.

The president of Acodecospat, Alfonso López Tejada, told La República that they have signed commitments with the government since 2015 and a multisectoral table with Cuatro Cuencas that is not developed.

“We have prior consultation agreements for Lot 192 and Lot 8 that are also not being implemented despite the fact that the concession and restart of activities in both oil lots is underway. We want to sit down with the regional government and the national government to find a definitive solution to the problems, with those responsible, with a budget and with a time frame,” said Alfonso López.

The Kukama leader clarified that they are not opposed to oil activity or development, but they cannot allow them to continue polluting their territories with the new delivery of oil wells to transnational companies.

“We need the remediation of our territories, we need a health plan, we need attention to brothers and sisters who are affected by heavy metals from hydrocarbons. We need the State to begin to comprehensively address and solve the problems of indigenous peoples,” he noted.

He mentioned that the restriction of navigation on the Marañón River has been partial, but the measure could be radicalized until no cargo or passenger transport unit circulates on this river, if a commission from the PCM does not arrive by December 8. San Pedro de Maypuco.

Regarding the unfulfilled agreements, Alfonso López cited the health plan with 18 million soles that is approved by ministerial resolution. Likewise, the remediation of the impacted sites in Lot 192, Lot 8 and in the territories of the towns through which the Nor Peruano pipeline passes.

“Let the meeting with the State multi-sector commission take place and let us know what has been progressed and what we have to continue to advance. We are waiting for you here in the community,” he claimed.

He added that the first week of November they were in Lima meeting with 32 representatives of the State and that none of them gave them a clear answer regarding the attention to the government’s commitments to the indigenous peoples of Cuatro Cuencas and Chambira.

GORE Loreto: exceeds our competencies

In this regard, the regional manager of Development of Native Peoples, Erwin Florett Díaz, declared to the Republic that the demands of the indigenous peoples have overwhelmed the Regional Government of Loreto because they exceed its capabilities.

“The regional government has no powers, for example, in remediating environmental impacts, for which nothing has been done so far. The person in charge is the national government through the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Energy and Mines, but since we are close, the protest reaches us first and there comes a time when the federations no longer want to talk with us because we do not solve anything. We are in that state right now,” said Florett Díaz.

The official indicated that the failure of the State to comply with agreements increases the distrust of the communities, since there are 50 years of oil exploitation carried out irresponsibly.

“All the oil spills are there and they act as a pollution dispenser every time it rains. The regional government recognizes that the federations are absolutely right in their demands. After 50 years of oil exploitation they do not have safe water to drink, they do not have an excreta disposal system, access to quality health and education; The rivers are polluted, the forests depredated, that is the reality. The regional government plays in favor of the federations by talking with the national government to overcome this situation,” he stated.

He also reported that tomorrow, Thursday, there will be a broad virtual meeting between the national government and regional and local governments, from 9:00 in the morning to 6:00 in the afternoon, where Loreto will address the demands of the indigenous peoples.

“We have to be honest with the entire State, that is the mission of the Regional Government of Loreto tomorrow,” said the regional manager of Development of Native Peoples.

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