The blockades respond to non-compliance by the National Government with respect to several agreed agreements. The main demands include issues related to education, land and security for ancestral peoples, as well as the rejection of a new toll by the Ruta al Sur concessionaire, in charge of the works on Route 45.
DIARIO DEL HUILA, PANORAMA
Since last weekend, the indigenous community concentrated in the El Pescador sector, in the municipality of El Hobo, Huila, has carried out intermittent closures of Route 45. This main road is crucial, since it connects Neiva with Pitalito and the departments of Putumayo and Caquetá, and their blockade has generated serious mobility and transportation problems.
Indigenous spokespersons have expressed that the blockades are due to the repeated failures of the National Government with respect to various agreed agreements. Among the main demands are issues related to education, land and security for ancestral peoples. In addition, they reject the possible installation of a new toll by the Ruta al Sur concessionaire, in charge of the works on Route 45.
«The presence and support of the ministries has been very minimal, to date we have not had concrete solutions from government officials. That is why we will be on the road with total blockage, but intermittently. Our agreements have been breached, there is no progress at the dialogue table and we will maintain intermittent closures on the road to the south of Huila, until agreements are reached with the National Government,” said Bernardino Menza, senior coordinator of the Regional Indigenous Council. of Huila (CRIH).
Impact on the region
The intermittent blockages on Route 45 have caused significant disruptions in mobility and the transportation of cargo and passengers to the south of Huila, Putumayo and Caquetá. This situation has caused concern among residents and transporters in the region, who depend on this road for their daily activities.
The Minga Indígena has indicated that no significant progress has been recorded in the negotiations with the Ministry of National Education. The lack of political will and the inaction of the delegated body to dialogue with the Minga have been pointed out as the main barriers. The indigenous people have asked the Minister of Education, Aurora Vergara Figueroa, to lead efforts to comply with the survival plan agreements established in Resolution 1515.
Government response
From the head of the office of the Minister of the Interior, Luis Fernando Velasco, information has been provided on the management of an institutional articulation to approach the Indigenous Minga proposed by the CRIH. The Government has announced the holding of a technical table to verify the progress of the agreements and commitments with the CRIH. In a statement, the Government of Change has highlighted its intention to promote the highest compliance indicators for communities and their exercise of claiming rights in the territories.
«We will continue to generate the spaces for dialogue and inter-institutional coordination necessary to resolve situations of social conflict that arise throughout the country. “Social Dialogue allows active listening and the finding of solutions in consensus with those affected,” they said from the office of the Minister of the Interior.
Although the Government has expressed its willingness for dialogue, the lack of concrete progress has kept the indigenous community firm in its blocking actions. The situation requires a joint and urgent effort to reach a consensus that allows the normalization of mobility in the region and the satisfaction of the demands of the ancestral peoples.
Construction of tolls was already ‘sung’
During the visit in February, the Vice Minister of Infrastructure confirmed the construction of the controversial tolls, which subsequently became a topic of discussion and agreement by the Minga Indígena. María Constanza García Alicastro, Vice Minister of Infrastructure of the Ministry of Transportation, in a meeting with Governor Rodrigo Villalba Mosquera and some mayors of the department, spoke about the progress of the Neiva-Santana-Mocoa highway megaproject, which is already 20 percent complete. hundred.
The representative of the Infrastructure portfolio highlighted the significant progress in the project which, at the beginning of its management, barely registered 6% execution. “Today we have the good news that the project is moving forward and has several work fronts,” she said.
The vice minister explained that the financing of the project comes from various sources, including future resources committed by all Colombians. However, she noted that another important part will be obtained through the implementation of tolls, underlining their importance in the recovery and financing of investments.
In relation to the issue of tolls, the official highlighted that they are not exclusive to Huila, but rather an aspect at the national level, with approximately 180 tolls throughout the country. She emphasized the need to be attentive to the needs of the communities and understand the specific agreements that may be generated.
Likewise, he called to understand the relevance of these tolls, which allow the mobilization of works in large-scale projects, such as Route 45, whose total investment amounts to more than 2 billion pesos.
The first toll will be in the municipality of Hobo and is expected to begin operating in July of next year, coinciding with the delivery of Functional Unit Two, which covers the section between Campoalegre and Gigante.
The other three tolls will be distributed between Pitalito and San Juan de Villalobos, and between San Juan de Villalobos and Mocoa, with one more between Mocoa and Villagarzón in Putumayo. According to Juan Carlos María, General Manager of the Ruta Al Sur Concessionaire, the Hobo toll will be located at kilometer 58.
