Date: January 2000 Global Response Campaign

For eight years, the U'wa people successfully prevented Occidental Petroleum Company from drilling in their traditional territory. They argued their case in Colombian courts and international human rights forums, and even at Occidental's Shareholders' Meeting in Los Angeles, California. Their chilling pledge to commit mass suicide if Occidental drilled on their lands made headlines worldwide.

As a result, Occidental gave up plans to drill inside the U'wa Reservation, but there's a catch: the U'wa Reservation covers only 14% of U'wa traditional territories. Occidental's first drill site was just 600 yards outside the U'wa Reservation, but well within U'wa traditional homelands. The U'wa community of Santa Marta lies adjacent to the former drill site, putting them at clear risk from impacts of the oil project.

What is at risk? The U'wa homeland in Colombia's Sierra Nevada de Cocuy mountains is one of the most delicate, endangered forest systems on the planet. It lies at the headwaters of the Orinoco River basin, which flows through sensitive cloudforest and rainforest ecosystems and other indigenous peoples' homelands on its way to the sea.

For thousands of years, the U'wa have lived by seasonally migrating between upland cloudforest and lush valleys, gathering plants, hunting and fishing. Their agricultural practices are famous for being virtually undetectable from the outside because the U'wa do not cut down the larger trees or ones that provide food for animals. Between uses, the U'wa let their fields lie fallow for 10 to 15 years, allowing full regrowth of native plant and animal species. The U'wa give complete protection to the high mountain ranges; no human beings are permitted to go there.

Just north of U'wa territory, Occidental's Cano Limon pipeline has spilled an estimated 1,700,000 barrels of crude oil into nearby soil, rivers, and lakes over the last 13 years (compare to 257,000 barrels in that "because of the polluting effects from Cano Limon, the receiving rivers and lakes are no longer fit for human consumption." In addition to pollution, oil projects inevitably lead to deforestation directly, because forests are cleared for oil exploration and production, and indirectly, because road systems created by the oil projects open new arteries into forests, clearing the way for colonization.

In Colombia, oil also means violence. Colombia's left-wing guerrilla groups view oil installations as strategic targets; Occidental's Cano Limon pipeline has been bombed more than 600 times, causing major spills; frequent assassinations, massacres, torture, and kidnappings occur in communities near the pipeline.

Occidental's drilling would invite these horrors to the U'wa communities, and for what gain? The oil reserves in U'wa territory can only supply three weeks worth of world oil consumption.

To prevent ecological and social horrors in their homeland, more than 200 U'wa people, including women, children and tribal elders, occupied Occidental's drill site known as Gibralter 1. Tribal leaders considered this permanent settlement a necessary action to block the drilling, since the government had already issued Occidental a permit for the site without consulting the U'wa.

How can we support the U'wa in their courageous struggle? Occidental would have backed down if shareholders had demanded it. In 1999 13% of Occidental's shareholders voted for a resolution to assess the negative impacts of Occidental's project in U'wa territory. Global Response members tried to increase the pressure on Occidental by working to convince Fidelity Investments, one of Occidental's top shareholders, to demand "hands off" all U'wa land. 

On February 17^th, 2000 Global Response reported that three U’wa children died when Colombian police and military attacked nonviolent U’wa protesters near the Gibraltar 1 drillsite.

GR sent faxes and emails to the Colombian president and presidential advisor for human rights, urging them to suspend Occidental’s drilling activity in U’wa territory, pending negotiations with the U’wa, and demanding immediate withdrawal of Colombian police and military from the Gibraltar 1 drillsite and guarantees of safety for nonviolent protesters.

On February 25^th of that same year Global Response reported that At least 2,500 campesinos, students, and union members joined thousands of U’wa and other indigenous peoples in resuming the blockade of the main road to Occidental Petroleum’s well site.

On April 4^th of 2000 A Colombian court ordered Occidental Petroleum Corp. to halt all construction work on the Gibraltar 1 well site on sacred ancestral land of the U’wa tribe. The judge ordered that the drilling on the site would violate “fundamental rights” of the U’wa people including their right to life.

During their annual shareholder meeting during the week of May 3^rd, 2002, Occidental Petroleum announced that the company will return to the Colombian government its oil block located adjacent to the traditional territory of the U’wa people.

An U’wa communication from May 7 stated: “The money king is only an illusion. Capitalism is blind and barbaric. It buys consciences, governments, peoples, and nations. It poisons the water and the air. It destroys everything. And to the U’wa, it says that we are crazy, but we want to continue being crazy if it means we can continue to exist on our dear mother earth.”

To read more:

Date: 04/04/2003

U’wa Determined to Resist New Oil Drilling Plans

http://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/u-wa-determined-resist-new-oil-dril...

Date: 04/25/2003

From Amazon Watch: Update on the U’wa and Ecopetrol

http://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/dana-chitwood/amazon-watch-update-u-wa-and-ecopetrol