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FALL, 2001: Volume 6, Issue 3 In Colombia, CPTers Accompany Indigenous People from CPT Net
More than eight hundred indigenous people from throughout Colombia
began a march Wednesday, June 13, in search of Kimy Pern�a Domic�, the
abducted leader of the Embera-Kat�o indigenous group.
Three masked men on a white motorcycle kidnapped the internationally
respected leader at gunpoint June 2. He shouted, �They have me!� as
the motorcycle sped from the municipality of Tierra Alta toward Monteria,
Cordoba. Nothing has been heard from Kimy since.
The dominance of army-backed paramilitary in the region and the form
of abduction indicate that paramilitary belonging to the United Self-Defense
Groups of Cordoba and Uraba (ACCU) are responsible.
In media reports following the incident, the police commander of Cordoba
attempted to justify the abduction by accusing Kimy of involvement in
the drug trade. These comments have been proven untrue, but in this
context they are dangerous nonetheless.
Indigenous people from around the country congregated and marched in
the streets of Medell�n on Wednesday and then descended to Tierralta,
starting point for the direct action and march route, later in the day.
Participants in the non-violent direct action plan to confront the paramilitary
by marching to their farms around the city of Monteria and demanding
the release of Kimy, or at least the return of his body.
Kimy Pernia Domic� was targeted for playing a leading role in the Embera-Kat�o
campaign against the construction of the Urr� dam mega-project. Due
to their resistance, several Embera-Kat�o communities have been targeted
by the paramilitary. Paramilitaries belonging to the AUC make no effort
to hide their alliances with their private sponsors. In a recent interview
with Carlos Casta�o, former head of the AUC, a columnist from the Colombian
magazine Semana asked �Whose work was (Kimy) impeding?� Casta�o responded,
�The Dam! He�s impeding the functioning of the dam!�
The Urr� dam mega-project, partially funded by the Canadian government,
ravaged the Embera-Kat�o ancestral lands and threatens the group�s very
survival. Several leaders were assassinated, community members were
abducted, and others disappeared due to their active resistance to the
project. The Embera-Kat�o thought the violence would subside with the
treaty signed with the Urr� builders and the Colombian government early
last year. They were wrong. Kimy�s abduction was just one of the attacks
they have suffered.
On Monday, June 18, CPTers Scott Kerr and Ben Horst arrived in the town of Tierralta in the department of C�rdoba to accompany [the marchers]� [The] Embera-Kat�o and allied indigenous groups occupied Tierralta�s main central plaza for the duration of the encampment, stringing up a spider�s web network of rope and plastic tarps to serve as tents. The indigenous walked through the ranchland surrounding Tierralta on June 16, June 18, and June 20, asking ranchers, peasants, and passers-by for any information regarding Domic�. Kerr and Horst accompanied the marchers on June 20, walking for six hours over dusty roads in areas largely controlled by paramilitaries. When Horst asked why that section of the countryside had been chosen for the march, an Embera-Kat�o leader replied, �One of our shamans has seen signs that Kimy was brought to this area.� On June 22, officials, including the Minister of the Interior, several senators, and a UN delegate, arrived from Bogot� for a public meeting to discuss the disappearance of Domic� and the plight of the Embera-Kat�o people. The Colombian government officials hedged in response to the Embera-Kat�o�s requests, in effect rejecting them. The response of UN delegate Anders Kompas was more direct. He criticized the government�s failure to enact a thorough search for Domic�, and their �lack of transparency� in matters regarding the indigenous peoples of Colombia. Additionally, Horst read a statement on behalf of the five international observers taking part in the march, which called in part for �the liberation of Kimy and the respect for the autonomy of indigenous territory and authority.� Editor�s note: During the march, no one was hurt, but afterward, a Justapaz staffer e-mailed me saying, �Attacks on the indigenous have increased since the March ended.� See this issue Urgent Need for Spanish Speakers for more information on CPT TOP
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