The organization in defense of the indigenous communities Prilaka Community Foundation denounces that a commission of delegates of the Daniel Ortega regime agreed behind closed doors to make “illicit” pacts with settlers, which harm the community members of the North Caribbean Coast.
Through a public complaint, the association reported that on February 6, “a commission made up of sympathizers of the government party and imposed leaders from the Esperanza Río Wawa community, in the Wangki Twi Tasba Raya territory, who have repeatedly come promoting leases of communal lands, in a private meeting without the consent of the community they agreed to make agreements with settlers”.
Related news: Nicaraguan indigenous people denounce before the Inter-American Court the usurpation of their lands
“It is known that the rental promoters summoned the settlers for February 8, in order to negotiate the right of possession under the rental modality within an extensive area of land of 1,934.8 hectares for the amount of 400,000 córdobas” Prilaka says.
The lands under negotiation belong to the Muller family, who are originally from the Caribbean community that has been violently invaded by settlers for several years. They point out that “despite the fact that members of the Muller family have denounced this situation, it has not progressed.”
“From the indigenous communities, we reiterate the call to the corresponding authorities to attend to the multiple demands of the indigenous population for the violation of their individual rights, especially the right to collective property, caused by the violent invasions of settlers in their territories, as well as the judicialization of promoters of the invasions of indigenous territories”, concludes the letter of the social movement.
Recently, a group of human rights defenders denounced before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IDH-Court) that in Nicaragua close to 80% of the communities are in the hands of settlers and that the indigenous population no longer has access to their own lands due to these invasions. This problem prevents the community members from growing any product, thus affecting food security. He also highlighted the forced displacement to which they are subjected.
Erick Acuña, lawyer for the Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), regretted the absence of Nicaragua in the entire process for violations of the human rights of the indigenous peoples of the Central American country. He indicated that since 2013 the State refused to recognize the authorities of the Rama and Kriol peoples and promoted parallel governments by recognizing them without having been elected according to their traditional form.
“The IACHR identified that the State breached its duty to clean up. To date there are groups of settlers within their already titled territories. Regarding the Black Creole population of Bluefields, the State failed in its duty to title their traditional territories, to date only a minimal fraction of their claimed lands has been titled,” said Acuña.
