NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Jose Proano -- jose@landislife.org or Casey Box – tel: +1.646.812.6255, email: Casey@landislife.org
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Dos indígenas Waorani fueron atacados, posiblemente por los pueblos aislados del Yasuni.
Los ancianos guerreros Ompore y su esposa Buganei fue
ron sorprendidos por un ataque cuando regresaban a su casa que se encuentra a varios kilómetros de la comunidad Waorani de Yarentaro. El ataque sucio dentro de los limites del bloque 16, operado por la compania petrolera Repsol. La justicia ecuatoriana ha iniciado las investigaciones sobre la muerte de los ancianos waorani.
Los atacantes posiblemente pertenecen al grupo conocido como Tageiri - Taromenane que viven en situación de aislamiento. Los grupos Waorani y Taromenane han mantenido disputas territoriales históricamente y en los últimos anos se produjeras varios enfrentamientos entre ambos grupos.
Actualmente existen muchos actores presentantes en el interior del Parque Nacional Yasuni, empresas petroleras, misiones religiosas, turistas, extracción ilegal de madera, se encuentran concentradas sobre el territorio que históricamente ha pertenecido a la nación Waorani y los pueblos aislados.
La nación Waorani ha exigido al gobierno del Ecuador la implementación de un plan de ayuda para las familias de las víctimas. Ademas del mejoramiento de las medidas cautelares y de protección. Se necesitan radios de comunicación en la zona del ataque. Alimentación para la población que ahora no puede recoger sus alimentos del bosque y salir de cacería debido a la posible presencia de los Tagaeiri - Taromenane.
El alto comisionado de las ONU para los Derechos Humanos ha dictado directrices de protección para la vida, territorio y derechos de los pueblos aislados. Los países de la cuenca amazónica se han comprometido para adoptar estas directrices. Ademas el caso de los Tagaeiri - Taromenane se encuentra actualmente en la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos debido al genocidio que estos pueblos enfrentan en los últimos anos. La CIDH ha dictado medidas cautelares para que el Estado ecuatoriano implemente la debida protección de la integridad de los pueblos aislados en el Yasuni, pero hasta el momento los esfuerzos institucionales aun no logran crear las suficientes garantías y la conflictividad en la zona sigue en aumento.
FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Casey Box – tel: +1.646.812.6255, email: Casey@landislife.org
Monday, December 10, 2012
Bushmen Arrested and Tortured by Botswana Officials
Land is Life has received several reports that three men were arrested and one was tortured in the Basawara (Bushman) community of Gope, which lies inside the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR).
On Tuesday, November 27th, Nkemegse Mogosko and Kebonyeng Kepese were detained by Botswana’s Department of Wildlife and the Special Support Group (SSG), a special police force that has been occupying Bushman territory since May 2012.
The two men were handcuffed and Mr. Mogosko was held by his neck and dropped into a hole in the ground. The hole was then covered with dirt so the he could not move. The same forces eventually dug him out after the Chief of Gope, Mone Kepese, was arrested.
The three men were taken to Sojwe, where they were detained for three days. On Wednesday December 5th, they were brought before the Magistrate Court in Molepole and charged with illegal hunting, despite the fact that they have the legal right to hunt in their territory inside CKGR. Nkemegse Mogosko and Kebonyeng Kepese were released on bail but Mone Kepese is still being detained.
Incidents of harassment and arrests have seen a sharp increase in recent months, as part of the government of Botswana’s ongoing campaign to force the Basawara off of their ancestral homelands. These reports come at a troubling time, when Gem Mining is expanding its operations near Gope, the smallest and poorest community inside the CKGR. Additionally, the men are concerned for the women and children that have been left alone in Gope.
Brian Keane, Director of Land is Life, said today, “Basawara rights to live, hunt and gather inside the CKGR were reaffirmed by Botswana’s High Court in 2006. President Ian Khama’s campaign to force them from their ancestral homelands is not only against international law, it’s against the law in Botswana. It’s time for President Khama, who sits of the board of Conservation International, to respect the law. It’s time for him to enter into dialogue with the Basawara and resolve this situation. The Basawara have the right to not only live, hunt and access water in their territory, they have the right to control their own education, to access health care and to make their own decisions concerning their resources, lives and livelihoods.”
Land is Life is calling on the government of Botswana to immediately release Mone Kepese, remove Special Support Group forces from Basawara territory and hold those responsible for the November 26 incident accountable for their actions.