The community of the Nasa Páez Indigenous Reservation of Río Negro, Íquira, is in a permanent assembly, after the murder of the young José Rafael Meza Rivera at the hands of criminal groups. The community does not rule out confronting the guerrilla groups and expelling them from the territory.
DIARIO DEL HUILA, CLOSE UP
In a tragic event that occurred in the town center of Río Negro, in the municipality of Íquira, in western Huila, José Rafael Meza Rivera, a 20-year-old indigenous young man belonging to the Nasa people, was murdered. The Regional Indigenous Council of Huila (CRIHU) has strongly rejected this murder in a statement.
Armed men attacked José Rafael Meza Rivera, who was working as a reservation guard, while he was traveling on a motorcycle accompanied by another person. Leonardo Home, political coordinator of the CRIHU, deeply regretted the murder of the young man and highlighted his role as caretaker of the ancestral territory.
«From the Regional Indigenous Council, the 33 authorities and councils reject the vile murder of the young José Rafael, in the ancestral territory in Río Negro, Huila. Today more than ever we call on the country, on the State institutions, to sit down and talk and a ceasefire is held with the armed groups so that there is peace in the territories and no more lives of our young indigenous people continue to be claimed. peasants and marginalized sectors,” declared Home.
The CRIHU leader also made an urgent call to the National Government and human rights entities to guarantee the security of the native peoples in Huila. Home urged the High Commissioner for Peace and the control entities to resume peace negotiations with the armed groups, stressing that the war is only leaving dead people, orphans and destroyed families.
«For this reason, we call on the High Commissioner for Peace, the government of change and the control entities to urgently resume peace negotiations with the armed groups, because this war is only leaving us dead, orphaned children and mothers without their children. », Home concluded.
permanent assembly
Wilfer Gugu, indigenous governor of the Nasa Páez Reservation of Río Negro, Íquira, reproached what happened and indicated that they are in a permanent assembly, Minga of resistance, in the face of the bloody event that occurred over the weekend and that involved a 20-year-old young man . “The event occurred on Saturday afternoon. Criminal hands ended the life of a 20-year-old young man. The community is very shocked and hurt. We have declared ourselves in a permanent assembly to analyze what determinations to take in the face of what happened and stop the acts of violence that have affected us so much in the Río Negro region.”
The indigenous governor pointed out that indigenous peoples have always declared themselves neutral in the presence of the Public Force and armed groups outside the law. “We do not walk or commune with groups outside the law, neither with the Public Force nor with the guerrillas. We intend for our young people to transform the earth in an academic way. “Many are in universities, but others, by joining these groups, have recruited or joined the ranks of the insurgency.”
Given this bloody event, the governor indicated that the community is considering expelling the armed groups from the territory, despite the risks that this decision could entail. “If we make that decision, we are aware that the public order issue will worsen.”
Likewise, he noted that, in the first half of 2024 alone, they recruited eight minors. However, it has been the same indigenous community that has come to the guerrilla camps to claim their young people. “With all the courage we have taken the courage to go rescue them and return them to the territory. “They have all returned to their homes, except one who did not want to return.”
Violence and forced recruitment
Diario del Huila recently spoke with the commander of the Huila Police Department, Colonel Carlos Eduardo Téllez, about the complaints made by the indigenous communities of western Huila. Colonel Téllez reported that, in response to these complaints, coordinated work has begun with the Prosecutor’s Office, the Judicial Police and the Gaula to identify and combat crimes such as the instrumentalization of children and adolescents, as well as threats and extortion.
“Our Gaula group has begun investigations to identify these criminal acts in the region. The cases have occurred more frequently in the west of the department of Huila,” said Colonel Téllez Betancourt.
Despite efforts, the recruitment of minors remains a grim and unchanging reality. The most recent case occurred in the department of Cauca, where four children between 12 and 14 years old from the Nasa people, belonging to the Canoas indigenous reservation, were reported missing. The community has made an urgent call for armed groups to return the minors to their homes.
“We have reported and taken many actions that sometimes seem insufficient to protect the lives of our children. However, we do not give up on these efforts. We believe that dialogues continue to be necessary because our present and future generation is at risk,” said Senator Aida Quilcué of the Maíz Party.
In the last four years, FARC dissidents have murdered 374 social leaders in this region. This alarming figure, added to the recruitment of minors, calls into question the will for peace of the illegal armed groups.
“From the legislative level, we must empower ourselves on the issue so that these children can have a dignified life, with access to education and other options other than war. It is essential that these armed actors respect and dignify the lives of children and adolescents in the territory,” explained Senator Berenice Bedoya of the Independent Social Alliance Party.
In Cauca, in the last four years alone, 785 minors have been recruited by FARC dissidents. Faced with this alarming situation, various sectors urgently ask to protect the integrity of children and respect their rights, since this will be crucial to preserve the future of the country.
National overview
The Ombudsman’s Office recently provided alarming data on the forced recruitment of minors by illegal armed groups in 2023. According to the report, 184 minors were recruited by these structures, with a breakdown of 110 boys and 74 girls. These cases were concentrated in three departments: Cauca, with 125 cases; Norte de Santander, with 14; and Nariño, with 10. Of the 184 minors recruited, 68.4% belong to indigenous communities, a fact that highlights the vulnerability of these populations to violence and armed conflict.
The Ombudsman’s Office also highlighted the age of the victims, noting that the recruitment occurred mainly among minors under 14 years of age (31 cases), 15 years of age (37 cases) and 17 years of age (28 cases). These data underscore the urgency of protecting children and adolescents from these atrocious acts.
What to do if you know of a case of forced recruitment of minors?
The Ministry of Justice indicates that any act that threatens the life and fundamental rights of girls, boys and adolescents must be reported to the Attorney General’s Office. It is crucial to provide as much information as possible to identify the victim, the alleged perpetrator and the armed group involved, as well as the date and place where the events occurred. These complaints are vital to initiate investigations and protect minors involved in these crimes.
The fight against the forced recruitment of minors is an urgent and continuous task that requires the collaboration of all of society and State institutions. Only through denunciation and concerted action can we put an end to this human rights violation that threatens the future of children and adolescents in Colombia.
