Indigenous
community 'wiped out' by gold miners in southern Venezuela
An entire Yanomami
community is believed to have been wiped out by illegal gold miners
(garimpeiros) in southern Venezuela near the border with Brazil.
According to
available testimony from three Yanomami survivors, who were out hunting
on the day of the attack, in early July, a helicopter was seen flying
over the remote village of Irotatheri, which is located in the headwaters
of the Ocamo River in the Municipality of Alto Orinoco. The occupants of
the helicopter then proceeded to destroy the community with firearms and,
it appears, explosives.
It is unclear
how many people died in the attack, but it is known that 80 men, women,
and children lived at Irotatheri village. To date, only three Yanomami
have been accounted for, the three hunters, who had to walk for six days
to the nearest town of Parima-B to tell their story.
According to Luis Shatiwe Ahiwei,
a leader of the Horonami Yanomami Organization, members of a nearby
village went to Irotatheri to investigate. They encountered an unknown
number of charred bodies and the community's "shabono"
(communal hut) burned to the ground.
On Aug 27, a
joint statement (see below) was issued by HORONAMI and 13 other
indigenous organizations mourning the attack and urging the Venezuelan
State to open a criminal investigation, "To come to the place of the
massacre and to adopt bilateral agreements with Brazil to control and
watch the movement of garimpeiros in the Upper Ocamo". They also
condemned the government's failure to take action against the garimpeiros
despite the various aggressions that took place leading up to this recent
massacre.
As Luis Bello,
a lawyer in Puerto Ayacucho who defends indigenous rights, explained to the Guardian, the
allegations are merely the latest in a series of abuses. "Reports of
garimpeiros attacking different communities are becoming more and more
frequent, and now we also hear of rivers being poisoned with mercury.
We've reported to the authorities but we are so far away that is it all
easily forgotten," Bello said.
Declaration
from Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon regarding the Yanomami
Massacre
On the day of
August 27th, 2012, gathered in the City of Puerto Ayacucho, we the
Indigenous peoples and communities of the Venezuelan Amazon together as the Coordination of Indigenous
Organizations of the Amazon (COIAM), made up of the Regional Organization of
Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon (ORPIA), the Indigenous Organization
United Piaroa of Sipapo (OIPUS), the Ye´kuana Organization of the Upper
Ventuari (KUYUNU), the Indigenous Organization Jivi Kalievirrinae
(OPIJKA), the Yanomami Organization (HORONAMI), the Organization of
Indigenous Women of the Amazon (OMIDA), the Organization of Indigenous
Huôttuja Communities of the Parhuaza Sector (OCIUSPA), the Association of
Piaroa Teachers (Madoya Huarijja), the Piaroa Organization of Cataniapo
“Reyö Aje”, the Indigenous Organization of the Negro River (UCIABYRN),
the Piaroa Organization of Manapiare, the Ye´kuana Organization of the
Upper Orinoco (KUYUJANI Originario), Yabarana Organization of Parucito
(OIYAPAM), the Political Movement- Multi-Ethnic People United of the
Amazon (PUAMA), make the following declaration in
rejection of the most recent MASSACRE
OF INDIGENOUS YANOMAMI PEOPLE which took place in the
community of IROTATHERI,
Municipality of Alto Orinoco, committed by illegal miners from Brazil.
This information was shared by the survivors and witnesses during the
month of August 2012:
1. We stand in
solidarity with the Yanomami People in Venezuela and their organization
HORONAMI, who was victimized in the month of July 2012, due to the most RECENT MASSACRE IN THE COMMUNITY
OF IROTATHERI, located in the headwaters of the Ocamo
River, Municipality of Alto Orinoco. The area of the massacre is within
the area of influence of various Yanomami communities such as; MOMOI,
HOKOMAWE, USHISHIWE and TORAPIWEI, of which all have been attacked, assaulted
and invaded by illegal miners from Brazil (GARIMPEIROS) during the last 4
years.
2. We mourn
this most recent violent attack against the Yanomami people that left an amount of dead that has not
been completely determined but there are 3 survivors accounted for of
approximately 80 Yanomami people who lived in the community Shapono in
the Upper Ocamo. According to witness and survivor
testimonies, Shapono was burnt
and attacked with firearms and explosives. Witnesses and
survivors were relocated to the community of Parima “B” between August
15th - 20th, 2012, where they informed of the tragic events to members of
the organization HORONAMI, Venezuelan Authorities of the 52nd Brigade of
the National Army and the Center for Investigation and Control of Tropical
Diseases (CAICET).
3. We express
our preoccupation
that as of the year 2009 various entities of the Venezuelan State have
been informed about the presence of GARIMPEIROS in the Upper Ocamo
and about the different aggressions that have perpetuated against the
communities of MOMOI
and HOKOMAWE. These communities have been victims of
physical violence, threats, gender violence and contamination of their
water from the use of mercury that has left a number of Yanomami dead.
None the less NO
MEASURES WERE TAKEN TO REMOVE THE GARIMPEIROS FROM THE AREA
or to create and implement a control plan regarding their access and
mobility in the region when there has been an known increase in illegal
mining in all of the Brazilian Amazon.
4. This
situation does not only affect the rights to LIFE, PHYSICAL INTEGRITY AND
HEALTH OF THE YANOMAMI PEOPLE, but also constitutes a new genocide and threat to the
physical and cultural survival of the Yanomami. In this
very moment when next year marks the 20th anniversary of the Massacre of
HAXIMÚ in which 16 Yanomami women, children and elders were killed.
5. We solicit
the National Government and other entities of the Venezuelan State to
immediately OPEN A
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION, TO COME TO THE PLACE OF THE MASSACRE AND TO ADOPT
BILATERAL AGREEMENTS WITH BRAZIL to control and watch the
movement of garimpeiros in the Upper Ocamo, the place of the massacre and
presence of Yanomami threatened by the uncontrolled actions of the
garimpeiros. We remind that the failure
to investigate and take the necessary measures as a result of the case of
HAXIMÚ, could compromise the international responsibility of the
Venezuelan State, for allowing foreign agents to attack
Venezuelan nationals in their own territory.
Regional
Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon (ORPIA)
Indigenous
Organization United Piaroa of Sipapo (OIPUS)
Ye´kuana
Organization of the Upper Ventuari (KUYUNU)
Indigenous
Organization Jivi Kalievirrinae (OPIJKA)
Yanomami
Organization (HORONAMI)
Organization of
Indigenous Women of the Amazon (OMIDA)
Organization of
Indigenous Huôttuja Communities of the Parhuaza Sector (OCIUSPA)
Association of
Piaroa Teachers (Madoya Huarijja)
Piaroa
Organization of Cataniapo “Reyö Aje”
Indigenous
Organization of the Negro River (UCIABYRN)
Piaroa
Organization of Manapiare
Ye´kuana
Organization of the Upper Orinoco (KUYUJANI Originario)
Yabarana
Organization of Parucito (OIYAPAM)
Political
Movement- Multi-Ethnic People United of the Amazon (PUAMA)
José Gregorio
Díaz Mirabal Vice-Cordinator CONIVE
Guillermo
Guevara (Indigenous Consituyent 1999)
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