Local indigenous authorities in Antioquia announced they plan to kick
out farmers who they say took over their ancestral land and planted
coca plants.
The decision to expel the farmers was made by a collective of five indigenous communities from the Yaverarado reserve in the Chigorodó mountains in Antioquia.
Indigenous representative William
Carupia said that according to a registry researched between June 2 and 12, farmers were found to have “invaded” 2,000 hectares of indigenous territory. He said they had planted coca plants on about 500 hectares of indigenous land.
“We don’t agree with these crops, they bring us a lot of problems, including a future of cultural disorder,” he said.
Carupia said that the indigenous reserve has State approval to evict coca farmers from their land.
The initiative is led by Dario Carupia, the governor of the Yaverarado reserve.
