Last August 26, 2009, at 5 AM, the Awa people of the Gran Rosario Indigenous Shelter (Tumaco), were visited by criminals who shot indiscriminately two houses. In this first event, 8 persons lost their lives, among them three children of 1, 8 and 10 years old. Four other persons were shot death afterward risen the number to 12 victims.
According to the report released by the Colombian Organization for the Indigenous People (ONIC), men in military uniforms, but with not distinctions and their faces covered, shot to a family of the Awa people in Tumaco.
They killed Mrs Tulia García and her two sons. García lost her husband, Gonzalo Rodríguez, on May 23, 2009 when he was shot presumably by members of the army.
Investigations
A commission of the Awa authorities arrived afterward to the Indigenous Shelter to proceed with an investigation on the events of the new slaughter, one that rise worries about the conditions of human rights in Colombia, especially to vulnerable communities like Indigenous minorities.
ONIC produced a communicate asking the guarantee of security of the Indigenous people in Colombia, especially those of the Awa people that are under the fire of different violent groups, including the army. The National body for the protection of human rights of Indigenous communities asks also an urgent and impartial investigation on the issue to capture the responsible criminals of this new mass slaughter.
Different international organizations condemn the slaughter
The United Nations office in Colombia for human rights condemned the slaughter of 12 persons of the Awa people, four children among the victims and underlined that it is the second time that the Awa community is attacked this year – the first one was on February 4, 2009.
Christian Salazar, the representative of UN in Colombia for human rights declared:
“En nombre de las Naciones Unidas en Colombia quiero manifestar mi extrema preocupación por esta segunda masacre contra el pueblo Awá este año. Veo con especial gravedad y profundo dolor que niños, niñas y mujeres están entre las víctimas. En reiteradas ocasiones las Naciones Unidas y el Alto Comisionado para los Derechos Humanos en Colombia han llamado al gobierno colombiano a proteger la integridad y seguridad física de los pueblos indígenas y de sus líderes”.
‘In the name of the United Nations in Colombia I want to manifest my deep concern for this second slaughter against the Awa people this year. I am very much concern that boys, girls and women are among the victims. In different occasions the United Nations and the High Commissioner for the Human Rights in Colombia has called the Colombian government to protect the integrity and physical security of the Indigenous people and their leaders.’
Amnesty International
For this international body on human rights watch, it is the third slaughter of the Awa people in 2009. AI blamed the Colombian authorities for this new bloody event for not taking seriously the compromise to protect the community.
Susan Lee, director of the Regional Program of Amnesty International for the Americas said:
”Ayer, los indígenas awá fueron víctimas de la tercera masacre en menos de un año. ¿Cuántos más tienen que morir para que el gobierno haga algo para proteger a estas comunidades?”
‘Yesterday [08.26.2009] the Awa indigenous were victims for the third time in less than a year. How many more should die in order to get any reaction from the government to protect these communities?’
More than 50 persons of the Awa communities have been murdered since September 2008 either by guerrillas groups, security forces or paramilitary allies. All those groups are trying to control the region of Tumaco, southwest of Colombia, on the Ecuadorian border.
Human Rights Watch
From Washington, HRW asked the Colombian government to follow an exhaustive investigation on the killing of Awa people, especially this last one that cost the life of 12 persons, three children among the victims.
José Miguel Vivanco, director of HRW for the Americas, said:
“Los primeros informes indican que los responsables de esta masacre podrían ser miembros del Ejército, quienes habrían actuado con el propósito de eliminar e intimidar a testigos de atrocidades. El gobierno debe asegurarse de que se realice una investigación efectiva de este aberrante crimen”.
‘The first reports indicate that the responsible of this slaughter could be members of the Army, who acted in order to eliminate or intimidate witnesses of atrocities. The government must assure that due investigations must be effective in this aberrant crime.‘
Other organizations like the Norwegian Council for Refugees, ASUD Italy, USOC USA and many others, condemned the crime against humanity and asked a full investigation and justice for the Awa people.
The government
The Colombian government condemned the murder of 12 members of the Awa people in Tumaco and offered a reward of 100 million pesos for any inform to capture the killers and the intellectual authors of the crime.
The Defense Ministry confirmed the news in a short press release:
“Hasta la vereda ‘El Rosario’ llegaron diez hombres, encapuchados y portando armas de corto alcance. Abrieron fuego contra dos viviendas, causando la muerte a cinco hombres, dos mujeres, dos niños, dos niñas y un bebé de la comunidad awá”
‘Ten masked men arrived to El Rosario village with short-range weapons. They opened fire against two houses and caused the death of five men, two women, two boys, two girls and a baby of the Awa community‘.
The Ministry concludes that there is not clear indications of who would be the responsible of the crime and the reasons why they did it, but the due authorities are in the region opening the investigation procedure with the aim to get the criminals to justice.
Massive funeral
In Ricaurte, a town of the Nariño State, the Awa community did the funeral of its people yesterday (08.29.2009). Two other victims were buried in the city of Tumaco.
After the burial, members of the Awa community met a commission of the National Government to discuss the situation. The commission was headed by Ministry of Justice and Domestic Affairs, Fabio Valencia Cossio.
The Awa leaders asked to the government more compromise to protect the communities and they reported that in the last year 38 indigenous have been killed by criminal groups.
They asked why the government did not give protection to Mrs Tulia García and her sons. She denounced the crime of her husband, presumible under the hands of the army, but she was completely unprotected and killed in this bloody event with her family.
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