In the deep rainforests of western Colombia, S.America,
criminal armies are terrorizing the Embera Indians and
other Native groups over control of the cocaine trade.
The Embera are just bystanders in the violent clashes
of these illegal paramilitary fighters but at least two
armies are involving them via beatings, rapes, abduc-
tions, and murder.
Currently Colombia has about three million internal
refugees, the majority of them Indian peoples lacking
clean water and sufficient nourishment. The Colom-
bian government has sent some soldiers to the area
but evidently not enough to control the situation. The
Embera people fear that this emergency will last for
months or years.
Arhuacos, Awa, and Nasa peoples have also been drawn
in by the fighting. In fact, at least 27 Indigenous groups
are currently in danger of being eliminated.
NY Times, 4 -22 - 09
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2 Questions:
ReplyDelete1.Is this the fault of drug users and drug dealers - or the fault of "the drug war" as you claim?
2. What can ordinary Americans do to help the Indians?
I'm already doing my part by not using cocaine, right?
1) Not sure how to answer that. I didn't make
ReplyDeleteany claims of fault. I suppose fault cd
be shared by 'all interested parties'.
2) Right. For further info on what you can
do, go to the SurvivalInternational web
site & tell them you want to help.