The Venezuelan NGO Clima 21 and the Observatory for the Defense of Life (Odevida) on Thursday asked the State to respond to the needs of the Yukpa indigenous people, who live in Zulia state, whose members have protested in recent days to demand that allow them to sell their handicrafts in Caracas.
“The Venezuelan State must act immediately in the search for ways to reconcile the current conflict that involves the Yukpa people,” the organizations said in a statement.
These actions, they continued, must be oriented towards the protection of the rights of the ethnic group, a response to their real needs with effective participation of the people and protection against violence against their members.
They also denounced the existence of a systematic and permanent campaign to criminalize and discredit the legitimate claims of the Yukpa people, which in their opinion could serve to legitimize an escalation of repression, harassment, and persecution of the members of that people.
The organizations affirmed that there has been a lack of attention from the State that has led this ethnic group to a serious situation of poverty, reappearance of overcome diseases and vulnerability to extreme weather events.
On Monday, some 100 Yukpa indigenous people blocked the bridge over Lake Maracaibo, the largest in Venezuela, to demand that they be allowed to market their products in the capital.
The ethnic group has tried to travel to Caracas in recent days, which has been prevented by officials from security forces.
Likewise, they have asked to talk with government officials to address issues such as road problems, as well as a shortage of medicines in the Sierra de Perijá, where they live.
After this protest, the Ministry of Interior Relations announced the creation of a General Staff for the preventive approach and comprehensive care of the indigenous peoples of Zulia, together with the portfolios of Indigenous Peoples, Agriculture, Culture, Health, Food, Defense and Security citizen.