Being part of the peace talks between the National Government and the ELN, that their life in the countryside be respected, being recognized as victims to receive the corresponding aid, and the development of infrastructure works that improve their quality of life, are among others, the cries of the peasants of the northern zone of the department of Huila.
Newspaper of Huila, Huila
By: Gloria Camargo
As in the departments of Caquetá, Guaviare, Meta, northern Antioquia and Huila, thousands of peasants poured into the streets of the city of Neiva, to demand both the national, departmental and municipal governments, as well as also to the armed groups, that they be taken into account in future peace processes and that their lives be respected.
Nury Carvajal Olaya, president of the Community Action Board of the village of Santa Lucía, village of Vegalarga, jurisdiction of the municipality of Neiva, pointed out that one of the main demands is mainly to maintain the bilateral ceasefire between the National Government and armed groups.
As Carvajal argued, “however it is understood, at the moment the ceasefire is lifted, we peasants are the ones who are going to bear the worst part, because we are going to be there, caught in the crossfire.
We have the little piece of land that we cultivate and where we work our livelihood, and we don’t want more displaced people. We returned to the territory and we want to continue there, cultivating and producing. We are economy, we are culture, we are tourism, so we want the National Government, yes or yes, to receive the peasant leaders at the negotiating tables, ”he established in the first place.
“We have not been compensated”
In turn, he added that Vegalarga is currently experiencing the same situation as always. “We are the same as before because we were never included in the dialogue tables with the Farc, we were never repaired. So that hasn’t changed, the peasants who have returned their lands have returned with nothing, with setbacks.
We have a territory full of peace, beautiful, but they don’t show it. That part is not seen by the Government. We are rising from the ashes with our economic effort, with our struggle and that part has not been taken into account by the National Government”.
Carvajal Olaya also pointed out that it is no secret to anyone that this corregimiento lived through the armed conflict in a crude way.
“Yes, we live in a time of war, of armed conflict and we have killed, but we have not been compensated. In this sense, we had asked the Departmental Government for a peace council, and they did not take us into account. We asked to be heard in the territory but it was not possible.
So that hasn’t changed, because we haven’t been repaired. But if someone goes to Vegalarga, Tello or Baraya at this time, they will find there are many tourist places. We want to show a different territory. Yes to resilience, no to stigmatization ”, he pointed out.
Likewise, Reinel Quesada, President of the Community Action Board of the village of El Cedral, also from the village of Vegalarga, indicated that “we want to be heard. Vegalarga was one of the areas where the country had the most war, they signed a peace agreement and Vegalarga did not receive a single penny of humanitarian aid.
We continue with the same or worse routes, there is not good access. We demand and want that the Vegalarga township be included in future peace talks, so that we, the peasantry, can be at the table and be able to be beneficiaries of the aid that arrives.”
The community leader also pointed out that “the departmental and municipal governments at the moment have not done anything, that’s why we left, so that they listen to us, because at this moment we do not have any support from the departmental or municipal government.”
armed presence
In an anonymous way, the Diario del Huila, established by the inhabitants of this rural area, that although there is no escalation of the armed conflict, for approximately four months, the peasants have been denouncing the presence of the Darío Gutiérrez front of the dissidents of the FARC.
“Well, right now we already have the presence of the FARC again, the Darío Gutiérrez front that has been present in the area for four months. At this time there is a bilateral ceasefire. At that moment we do not have a war, and what we are requesting today is that this bilateral ceasefire continue, because we do not want a second war. We are peasants, we are Neiva’s agricultural pantry,” the source established.
be recognized
Oliberto Tintinago Vargas, president of the Departmental Federation of Community Action of Huila, pointed out that this community organization supports the fair struggle of the Colombian peasantry “who are demanding to be recognized as subjects of rights.
In the same way, we support them in this struggle that is being developed to be taken into account in the delivery of land to the peasants, as well as being part of the negotiating table for the peace talks, which will allow progress in these peace agreements. peace that is brewing”.
The president indicated that it also seeks to prevent the peasantry from being victimized and murdered, “that respect for life and the dignity of work in the peasantry be really guaranteed. So, in general terms, community organizations today support them so that they are recognized subjects of rights in the country”.
Faced with the complaints raised about alleged pressure from armed groups to force the peasants to march, Tintinago only pointed out that the Federation “supports voluntary mobilization, the voluntary decision of the peasants to be recognized as subjects of right. That is what we support from the community organizations: the autonomous and voluntary decision of the peasantry to mobilize peacefully for their rights”.
