QUITO — Ecuadoran indigenous groups said they would resume talks with the government after a series of violent protests that left at least one person dead.
"We have accepted the government's call for dialogue," said Tito Puanchil, president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Amazon.
Puanchil told AFP the decision had been made after leaders of the movement met in Puyo, in the country's south-east.
Earlier Thursday, the movement said it was uninterested in talks with the government, after violent demonstrations that resulted in the death of at least one native Indian and left some 40 others injured -- most of them police, according to authorities.
Ecuador's indigenous population, which accounts for about a third of the country's 14 million inhabitants, opposes new legislation that they say would put water under the control of the mining and energy sector -- a claim the government denies.
Ecuador's 2008 constitution acknowledges the existence of the Pacha Mama -- the mother Earth revered by the country's native population -- and requires the state to consult with indigenous groups before exploiting natural resources in their territory.
But representatives of the population, who know that the consultation is non-binding, have since declared they will oppose any oil or mining development on their land.
No comments:
Post a Comment