Last week there were several clashes in Norte del Cauca between the national army and indigenous guards, who want the military to leave their territory.

Valencia explained how the native communities live in Norte del Cauca, as well as in other conflict zones in Colombia and how the indigenous guard operates in a video released for weekly Semana.

The leader explains that they have to go through check points controlled by the guerrilla, the paramilitary, the army and the police to get to their own territories.

“When we go to town, the Army and the Police say we are guerrilla informants or guerrilla fighters. They persecute us. But when we climb up the mountain the guerrilla claims we are there to provide information to the Army and the Police. It is hard to live like this. This is the Colombia that the rest of the Colombians don’t know. Unfortunately, the media misinforms the public opinion instead of informing them”, says Valencia.

The CRIC leader says the indigenous guards who defend the indigenous culture and territories have existed for thousands of years.

It is not a military structure, they have even got peace prizes. The indigenous guards may be children, elderly people, anyone who wants to defend the indigenous territory and defend the native peoples, explains Valencia. The members of these guards also participated in political training.

Valencia speaks of “armed actors” as a way to describe the guerrilla, the paramilitary, the Army and the Police. “They all kill us, they commit the same atrocities”, he said. The indigenous leader also mentioned the “places where the permanent assembly takes place” and where the communities take refuge during the armed conflicts. He finally said that the indigenous will not leave their territories: “we have said that no matter if we’re at war, no matter how many people die, we will not leave our territories”.

Photo: http://plano-sur.org