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Once again the Nonam People find themselves caught in the middle of armed conflict

Published: February 2013
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In February 2013 the Inter-Church Justice and Peace Commission visited the Nonam indigenous community in the Santa Rosa de Guayacán Humanitarian Reserve (Valle del Cauca), in order to talk about their precarious situation and the escalation of the armed conflict in the region. PBI accompanied Maria Eugenia Mosquera and Laura Chaparro on this journey.
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In February 2013 the Inter-Church Justice and Peace Commission visited the Nonam indigenous community in the Santa Rosa de Guayacán Humanitarian Reserve (Valle del Cauca), in order to talk about their precarious situation and the escalation of the armed conflict in the region. PBI accompanied Maria Eugenia Mosquera and Laura Chaparro on this journey.

PBIInterChurch Justice and Peace CommissionSanta Rosa de GuayacánNonam PeopleWounaanColombiaPeace Brigades Internationalindigenous peopleland

  • In February 2013 the Inter-Church Justice and Peace Commission visited the Nonam indigenous community in the Santa Rosa de Guayacán Humanitarian Reserve (Valle del Cauca), in order to talk about their precarious situation and the escalation of the armed conflict in the region. PBI accompanied Maria Eugenia Mosquera and Laura Chaparro on this journey.
  • Over the last two months the Inter-Church Commission, the Human Rights Ombusman, OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) and the Colombian press have published information on the conflict between the armed illegal groups in the region, the Urabeños and the Rastrojos. OCHA reported on the forced displacement of approximately 1,160 people and mobility limitations for almost 3,290 people in the region (communiqué 8 February 2013).
  • The Inter-Church Commission met with some 30 members of the community who viewed with worry the forced displacement of 40 families from Palestina, a hamlet that lies 20 minutes away from the Nonam indigenous community.
  • “We don’t think of leaving any more, we’ve already suffered a lot”, says Graciel Chiripuya, in a quiet and worried tone. Due to the armed conflict and fear within the community, she left her village in 2010 and lived in overcrowded shelter in the city of Buenaventura for a year. It is something they do not want to repeat, and they are prepared to resist on their territory.
  • For this reason they created the humanitarian reserve after their return in 2011; a community initiative to continue resisting on their territory in spite of the armed conflict. In order to achieve this objective, they visibilize the region in which they are living and prohibit the entry of any armed actor, be they legal or illegal. These zones are founded on the principle of distinction between combatants and non-combatants under International Humanitarian Law.
  • Between the uncertainty, the fear and the limitations placed on them by the illegal armed actors, the community has not been able leave much in order to fish, hunt and cultivate. This has a negative impact on their food security.
  • Despite the situation, Iría continues to go by boat to her allotment in order to cultivate rice, yucca and taro. The community also cultivates plantain and sugar cane.
  • The Nonam community are part of the Wounaan indigenous people, made up of 11,000 people located in the Chocó and Valle del Cauca.
  • The role of the woman among the Wounaan people is very important, since to a large extent it is the woman who protects, knows and transmits this knowledge within the community. The women work tirelessly, helping men with their work on the hills, and while we were there we saw them cutting firewood, carrying huge vats of water and furniture.
  • In Santa Rosa, women adorn themselves with beaded necklaces, and during festivities they paint themselves with achiote and jagua (plant dyes). They also make baskets constructed from werregue palm fibres. They sell their handicrafts to visitors, but they area also starting to commercialise their wares in cities like Buenaventura and Bogotá.
  • At present Santa Rosa has 122 inhabitants, half of who are children and teenagers studying at the village school. The two teachers teach in Spanish and in Wounaan. One of their most important cultural features is the Wounaan language since the daily use of Wounaan is considered an act of resistance in defiance of their cultural extinction.
  • Enrique, one of the teachers, tells us that they have elaborated study-books in the indigenous language for each school year. Unfortunately, the primary texts have not yet arrived, and they are still in search of funds to get the secondary texts printed.
  • The Guadual Afro-Colombian community lives on the other side of the river. In the afternoons the Guadual children cross the river to play football.
  • Santa Rosa has a healthcare specialist, but Wilson Garcia tells us that they do not get paid. To get to the nearest hospital it is necessary to travel two hours by motorboat, and then by road to Buenaventura. They have already requested options that will mean medical attention are nearer. The children regularly suffer from diarrhoea, flu, fever etc.
  • What we come to understand over the course of various talks, is that governmental presence is much needed here so that there may be adequate services such as those of education, health, housing, and new productivity proposals. Due to their vulnerable situation, the Inter-American Human Right Commission granted a security injunction to the 21 families from the Nonam community, and requested that the state adopt the necessary measures needed to protect the lives and physical integrity of the Nonam.
  • The Inter-Church Justice and Peace Commission is the agency that petitioned for the security injunction, as well as advising and accompanying the community since their displacement in 2010.
  • When you visit Santa Rosa you can’t hep but notice the gratitude the community feels for the work of the Commission, and for PBI’s presence. PBI have been accompanying the Commission for the past 19 years. Your support is very valuable to us in order to enable us to continue our accompaniment of human rights defenders in Colombia. Support us in our accompaniment of human right defenders. Please make a donation: <a href="http://www.pbi-colombia.org/los-proyectos/pbi-colombia/haz-tu-aporte/?L=1">http://www.pbi-colombia.org/los-proyectos/pbi-colombia/haz-tu-aporte/?L=1</a>
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