By Survival International
A 74-year-old Nasa Indian leader has been shot dead following protests against the militarization of his land in Cauca, south-west Colombia.
Lisandro Tenorio, a traditional healer, was at home with his family when two unidentified men arrived, shook his hand, and shot him three times in the head.
The Nasa made international headlines last month when they forcibly expelled soldiers from a military base on their land.
Illegal armed guerrillas of Colombia’s rebel group, the FARC, were also confronted by the Nasa and ordered to leave their territory within days.
Colombia’s army have been battling with the rebels for decades, with the Nasa caught in the violent crossfire.
According to Lisandro’s family, he had been repeatedly threatened by the FARC, who have been blamed for his death.
Survival has been campaigning against violence in Cauca since 1974, and has supported its regional indigenous organization CRIC.
Yesterday, CRIC released a statement that said, ‘Members of the FARC, stop your war. Our people are tired of so much humiliation and accusation. To kill an indigenous traditional healer is to put an end to the knowledge, soul, and wisdom of a people’.
From Survival International: http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/8587
Two words… “False Flag”. perhaps set up by the next guy in line for the leadership who knew of his confrontation with FARC rebels and used that information to his advantage by tipping the government forces (“…two unidentified men arrived, shook his hand…” You’d think he knew the visitors and was apparently affiliated with government interests… Or perhaps you’d think he was chiding the rebels one moment and then later simply shaking hands with them.) who killed the leader ”
As far as “Survival International” as a source goes. I expect no critical analysis.
I might be skeptical myself. After all, members of paramilitaries have in the past claimed to be members of FARC. But I don’t really doubt this particular case.
First, I trust Survival’s competence in reporting that his family was continuously threatened by members of FARC, and I trust that the family could distinguish between FARC members and paramilitaries.
Second, I trust CRIC as an organization and its ability to distinguish between a FARC murder and a military/paramilitary murder.
And maybe the most convincing reason of all is that FARC has an awful reputation with indigenous peoples, a reputation that includes mass displacement, refusing to leave indigenous land when asked, and killing indigenous leaders they consider a threat. (And even some them that posed them essentially no harm, for instance Ingrid Washinawatok).
Let’s remember Marxists like the FARC have a clear history of killing just about everyone (indigenous, anarchists, peasants) who won’t follow their party line. This should be no surprise. I really can’t tell the difference between a Marxist paramilitary and a colonial paramilitary. I don’t think the Earth can either.
I think we really need to look at all of this on a group to group basis. For instance, in Guatemala, the guerrillas for the most part were able to reach out to indigenous peoples. And to a large extent Mayan people there served in a support role for their actions, even after the military razed whole villages. Whereas in Colombia the guerrillas failed to reach out to indigenous peoples. They’ve been told again and again to leave, but they refuse, and they start killing indigenous leaders who oppose their trespassing. And to give a third example, the PLGA in India has a great deal of support from adivasis (indigenous people) in forested parts of that country, and even from Arundhati Roy, who was formerly known for her staunch belief in nonviolence. I think rather than just taking broad platitudes we need to look at the groups in question and how they operate.