Colombia's Awa resist violence, maintain 'spiritual bond' with nature

EL DIVISO, COLOMBIA — 

The Awa of Colombia are an Indigenous radical who person been threatened by equipped groups successful the country's southwestern rainforests for decades but importune connected protecting the situation they accidental they are "connected" to.

As biology argumentation leaders stitchery for a large biodiversity gathering successful the South American nation, the Awas embody the conflict for endurance of autochthonal peoples and the defence of the jungle.

"The Awa radical person been resisting for 500 years. Against invasion, discrimination, equipped groups, forced recruitment and displacement, acculturation," said Olivio Bisbicus, 1 of the leaders of this assemblage of astir 50,000.

"Being an Awa main is analyzable and dangerous," helium said. "Drug trafficking brings vice, territorial disharmony and the demolition of our civilization and nature."

The group's afloat name, Inkal Awa, means "People of the jungle" successful the ancestral language.

The radical unrecorded successful the mountainous rainforest of Colombia and neighboring Ecuador.

"Three equipped groups are warring implicit this strategical borderline region, a cause trafficking corridor to the Pacific" that is besides dotted with amerciable golden mines, Alex Javier Gonzalez, an authoritative with the Narino governorate, told AFP.

The concern is "critical for the Awas," helium said.

'Risk of extinction'

The Colombian justness strategy has documented 25 years of unit against the Awas, who person been caught up successful the struggle with the FARC guerrilla army, informing of a "risk of physical, taste and spiritual extermination."

Between 1990 and 2016, the guerrillas killed 185 Awas. The murders continued aft a 2016 bid agreement.

At slightest 22 members of the radical were killed successful 2022, including a salient person who was changeable by the men with whom helium was expected to negotiate.

Many of Colombia's Indigenous communities "are astatine hazard of extinction" owed to unit from transgression groups progressive successful cause cultivation and trafficking, Jan Egeland, caput wide of the Norwegian Refugee Council, told AFP.

"The convulsive contention for the onshore is truthful fierce," helium said.

In aboriginal 2023, the ombudsman's offices of Colombia and Ecuador issued a associated informing regarding the aboriginal of the Awa people.

The Colombian Constitutional Court has repeatedly called for their protection.

But caller unit claimed the lives of 3 much Awa men astatine the extremity of August, according to Unipa, an enactment representing them.

"And yet they are holding on," Gonzalez said. "The Awas person managed to support power implicit their lands."

'Spiritual bond'

Gilles Bertrand, the European Union ambassador to Colombia, describes their group's conflict arsenic "emblematic."

"They amusement large courage," helium said.

Armed with lone sticks and an ethos of nonviolence, the Unipa Indigenous guard, made up of 2,000 volunteers, works to support nature.

"In the look of weapons, we are empty-handed. But we person dialogue, and our ancestral knowledge, our identity, our authorities, our beingness present for centuries," Bisbicus said.

"We person been capable to support the unity of our people, and request respect for our territory. Our onshore is not a battlefield," helium said.

The Awas are besides characterized by what they telephone a "spiritual bond" with their land.

"The territory is simply a surviving space, wherever we coexist with nature, animals and spirits. Nature is our mother," said Wilmer Rigoberto Bisbicus, a coordinator successful Nutria, a backstage quality reserve.

At astir 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) supra oversea level, La Nutria hides an enchanting waterfall overlooking a lush valley.

"Here it rains a lot. This h2o is life," said Alvaro Pai, a usher astatine the reserve.

"The waterfall listens and heals you," helium said.

Described by the European Union's ambassador arsenic an "ambitious bid and ecotourism project," Nutria's 365 hectares are location to 185 taxon of birds, butterflies and frogs.

"We indispensable instrumentality attraction of the earth, due to the fact that we travel from it, larn from it, and we volition instrumentality to it," Olivio Bisbicus said.

"The further we determination distant from it, the much we harm ourselves."