The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) officially announced a march that will begin during the celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, in the province of Zamora in the canton of Pangui, and will advance towards the city of Quito, arriving on March 22, World Water Day. The march is designated “National March for the Life and Dignity of the People.”
Source: APC Suramerica
The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) officially announced a march that will begin during the celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, in the province of Zamora in the canton of Pangui, and will advance towards the city of Quito, arriving on March 22, World Water Day. The march is designated “National March for the Life and Dignity of the People.”
A press conference of the indigenous and social movements was held on Thursday, February 23, in the offices of CONAIE. It was organized to officially announce a march that will begin during the celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, in the province of Zamora in the canton of Pangui, and will advance towards the city of Quito, arriving on March 22, World Water Day.
As well as the uprising, the issues addressed at the press conference were the rejection of the current regime of President Rafael Correa, and the announcement for all Ecuadorians to unite in the mobilization entitled “National March for the Life and Dignity of the People.”
“We call on all social and political sectors of the country to mobilize on March 8, which will be only the beginning, but we call on all Ecuadorians for the day of March 22, we will march from all over the country to the city of Quito,” said Humberto Cholango, president of CONAIE.
The Grand National March, organized by CONAIE and social sectors in the country, among others, is to defend the Constitution of Montecristi against the neoliberal policies of the central government, for the approval of the Water Law, the Agrarian Revolution Law, and against abuse and arrogant attitudes, offenses against women and in particular against the indigenous movement, that are being criminalized and persecuted by the current government for thinking differently than the regime.
The president of CONAIE explained that the mobilization has no political aims, nor is it sponsored by any sector of the right. “We wish to say to the President of the Republic that our struggles are genuine and revolutionary struggles of the people, and the are absolutely not financed by any fascist nor any company, since we will never join with the sectors of the right in Ecuador.”
Finally he said, “That is why we are calling on all Ecuadorians to take to the streets on these days (March 8 and 22) and to say that we stand here to protect the changes that we have always dreamed of for our children.”
Meanwhile, Delfín Tenesaca, president of ECUARUNARI, announced that there is evidence of extreme poverty among the indigenous, those of African descent, and coastal campesinos, and “we will mobilize the indigenous movement against the high cost of living, for a true education for the indigenous sector, the right to health, the protection of Pachamama. We don’t want any more mining or oil exploration in our indigenous territories, we reject the excessive taxes on the indigenous and campesinos, the taxes on us, the poor, the campesinos, the farmers who support the cities. It is serious, it is a violation of our rights.”
He also refuted the accusations of President Correa of an intent to destabilize the state by the indigenous movement: “I regret that he continues to say that we, the indigenous, the campesinos, the dispossessed in the country, that we are trying to destabilize this government; it is very clear that the destabilization has been done to the indigenous movement (by the government), to the organized movement, to historic organizations, but not by us (to the government).”
Delfín added: “We do not want an uninhabited country. As we say, we do not want food today and hunger tomorrow, we do not want to destroy our plateaus, our forests, our coexistence with Mother Nature, with the Earth and human beings.”
Concluding with the decision to mobilize, he said, “As the indigenous movement in the country we announce this mobilization. ECUARUNARI with its decisions has said, let us protect Mother Nature, let us protect the dignity of the organizations of the people, of the nationalities, let us support all the social movements and let us call on all social sectors to protect life.”
Among the panelists who participated, in addition to those mentioned, were: Paul Velasco, president of the Popular Front; Mariana Pallasco, president of the UNE; Clara Medina, representative of the Organization of Women; Natasha Rojas, president of the Barrios of Quito; Lady Morales, representative of FESE; and others who indicated their support and confirmed their participation in the national march.