On Wednesday, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) denounced that personnel from Terra Turismo have made threats and incited aggression against Marlon Vargas, the president of the Indigenous organization.
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The incidents come amid the defense of Tzawata-Ila Chukapi, an ancestral Kichwa community located in Napo province in Ecuador’s Amazon region, a territory that has come under the scrutiny of private companies.
In early June, CONAIE had already reported the entry of heavy machinery into the area and an threat to evict the community amid a territorial dispute with Terra Turismo.
The Indigenous confederation also said these actions reflect a strategy to “divide communities, pit community members against one another, and escalate the territorial conflict.”
It also held Terra Turismo responsible for any “aggression, intimidation or act of violence that threatens the safety of Marlon Vargas, community authorities and the communities participating in this effort to defend the territory and collective rights.”
The alert issued by CONAIE came during an extraordinary regional assembly of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon (CONFENIAE).
Terra Turismo maintains that the disputed area is the company’s private property under a judicial ruling it considers “final and not subject to appeal.” It also denied ordering or promoting actions intended to attack, intimidate, or endanger Vargas.
Sources: CONAIE – EFE
Source: teleSUR English
