Once again Tolima, Colombia and the rest of the world will come together to show that we oppose the so-called "mining locomotive" being imposed upon us by the Colombian government.  It does not take into account the dignity of the people, our sacred territories, our flora and fauna, our mountains, water and life on our territory.  We will take to the streets in a peaceful manner with joy, unity, love, happiness, and environmental awareness, as part of the fourth march to defend life in our territories.

The Indigenous organizations and communities of Macro Amazonia have issued a statement relating to the current situation of violence and human rights violations and infringement of international human rights law that our indigenous brothers and sisters are suffering in the department of Cauca and, in general, on a national level.

CED-INS (Corporación para el Desarrollo y la Investigación Popular – Instituto Nacional Sindical) have launched a newsletter Lands and Conflict: Extractive Industries in Colombia. This is in a context in which, over recent years, huge swathes of land have been handed over by the government to multinationals in the extractive industries sector.  Given that such industries pose a risk to the livelihoods of many communities throughout the country, it has been considered necessary to systematically analyze the strategies and impacts associated with them.

The attack on Villa Rica police station on 2 Feb 2012 left eight dead, 32 wounded and 48 people whose homes were damaged by the explosion. Two members of the community – Deinar Mancilla and Jota Ramos – decided to make house-by-house visits in the area of the bomb, known as “ La 20” Neighbourhood, calling people to a meeting to discuss matters related to the help that we might offer as a group to families affected by the explosion.

A working Party

From very early on Tuesday 17th July, 2012, the roads in the North of Cauca department, Colombia, were filled with with chiva buses carrying hundreds of indigenous community members to the municipality of Toribio. Armed only with their indigenous staffs (bastones), which symbolise the autonomy of indigenous communities in Colombia, their intention was clear: they wanted the immediate withdrawal of the government forces and FARC guerrillas that have turned their territories into a living hell.