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Declaration of the Wayuu Indigenous Organization of the Wayuu Indigenous and Mache; Maikiratasalii

We denounce the forced relocation of indigenous families from their traditional lands at the hands of the Venezuelan government and the multi-national coal corporations.

 

We, the indigenous Wayuu inhabitants of the Wayuu, Mache and Cachiri; river baisns in the Sierra de Perija;, in the western state of Zulia, in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, inform all women and men of the world that our humble community, just as the Yukpa and Bari communities, will be forcefully relocated by the national government so that it may hand over our territories to multi-national coal companies, because the innards of the imperial monster needs more cheap coal to continue plaguing the peoples of the world with death, misery, and hunger.

There cannot be a XXI Century Socialism in our country without us, the indigenous -;
and if there are no rights to autonomous territories, free of mines and large hereditary landholders, only some expressed in legal papers - but as a nuisance to miners, oil people, gas people and large hereditary land holders, today they wish to eliminate us with their racist tale of sovereignty and national unity, as if we the indigenous are not also sons the god Maleiwua, Guaicaipuro, and Bolivar.

In these moments, the National Government, thru its Corporation of Development of the Zulia Region (Corpozulia), heads a final attack along with multi-national company operators against our humble indigenous families, to obligate us to sell them our lands, just as they imposed on us years ago during the opening of the Paso Diablo Mine* and the North Mine in the Guasare river basin, and more recently in the Las Carmelitas Mine near the Los Tres Rios dam.

We denounce the genocide and ecocide that is deepening in the foothills of the Sierra de Perija; along the border region with Colombia on the western arm of the great Andean Mountain range by the hands of Corpozulia, Carbozuliam Anglo American Coal, Inter-American Coal, Peabody, Carbonifera Cano Seco represented by the former president of Telecom Eiram, Brendan Hynes from Ireland, Corporacion Carbones del Perija; of Chile represented by Maria Victoria Quiroga M. and Alvaro Guell V., Energy Resources, among others.

Wayuu Indigenous Organization of the Socuy and Mache; Maikiratasalii

Autonomous Indigenous Territories
Free of Mines and Large Landholders.

* Paso Diablo Mine is owned impart by Peabody Coal/Peabody Energy Corporation.
http://www.peabodyenergy.com/