16/06/2009

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Page 18

Observations
PERU

Anguish,
oil and the
Amazon
Enrique Mendizabal
Violence erupted in the Peruvian
Amazonia earlier this month,
when thousands of indigenous
people, protesting against
legislation that would open up the
countrys rainforest to logging, gas
and oil contractors, were met by a
poorly planned police response.
During the events that ensued
hundreds of indigenous protesters
were killed or injured, and
thousands displaced. At least 23
police officers also died.
The protesters, mobilised by
AIDESEP, the umbrella group of
indigenous peoples organisations,
belong to various tribes under
constant threat in the Amazonia: at
least 30 ethnic groups have already
disappeared completely. Many
have served in the army and are
well trained in weapon use, and
the police sent to pacify the region
were outnumbered and
outmanoeuvred. They had been
sent by the Home Office minister
Mercedes Cabanillas, but without
clear orders. A potential candidate
in the countrys 2011 presidential
elections, Cabanillas had dithered
for months, in an attempt to avoid
becoming politically implicated. In
turn, she had been ordered to put a
stop to blockades along the few
PAYNES GREY BY CHRIS PRIESTLEY

18 | NEW STATESMAN | 22 JUNE 2009

Hundreds of indigenous protesters have been killed or injured in recent protests

roads connecting the vast jungle

region with the rest of the country
by the current president, Alan
Garca, keen to preserve his own
political capital.
The governments handling of
the crisis has been heavily criticised
by many Peruvians, even those
who disagree with AIDESEPs
tactics. Garca branded the
protesters savages and terrorists.
To divert attention from his
own role in events, he blamed an
international conspiracy for the
protests, suggesting that Evo
Morales and Hugo Chvez, envious
of Perus record-breaking economic
growth, were responsible. In
addition, hes ignored the longstanding support of the Danish,
German and Spanish governments
for the protesters.

Like all of his predecessors,

Garca has achieved economic
growth by extracting natural
resources and exploiting workers.
Policies are fundamentally
discriminatory: even initiatives for
the poorest are undermined by
policies that permit unreasonable
labour practices and the systematic
destruction of the Amazonias
environment and cultural identity.
The protesters thesis that
through local political
representation, communities can
play a central role in the sustainable
use of natural resources is far
more progressive than the
presidents.
Indigenous people have
demonstrated commitment to the
country. They presented Congress
with a detailed analysis of the

contested legislations effects as

early as September 2008, only to
be messed about for months by a
token consultation process. In the
end, they felt political institutions
had failed them. Roadblocks were
the only option left.
Unless there is a serious attempt
to address the rights of indigenous
peoples, the governments actions
are likely to benefit radical
nationalist groups in the 2011
elections. But the private sector
that Garca is so keen to protect
could easily be part of a settlement:
instability and violence, after all,
are not good for business.
Taking fundamental positions
only leads to the radicalisation
of the protesters, and the need for
tougher state repression. The
government must accept its
responsibility in the crisis and
ensure that those guilty of the
deaths of Peruvians on both sides
are brought to justice. l
Enrique Mendizabal is a research
fellow and programme leader at the
Overseas Development Institute

AFGHANISTAN

Looking the
other way
Kate Allen
Every two or three days we get the
doleful news of a young soldier
killed in Helmand, but other than
that, Afghanistan is pretty much
out of the news. Even the foreign
pages have replaced accounts of the
Taliban and the poppy harvest
with more dramatic reportage
from neighbouring Pakistan and
the Swat valley conflict.
So is no news good news? Sadly
not. Security is still extremely
fragile: outside of Kabul and a few
key roads, Hamid Karzais
government can hardly pretend
to provide even basic security for
the Afghan population. Talibanaffiliated groups, tribal militias
and armed criminal gangs all prey
on local people, often buying off
police officers or members of the
Afghan army. Seven and a half
years on from the fall of the Taliban

REUTERS/MARIANA BAZO

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