Image of the blockade of one of the entrances to Tlapa. Photo:@Tlachinollan
On March 30 last, more than 3,000 indigenous from the High Mountain zone of Guerrero marched to demand reparations for damages caused by hurricanes Ingrid and Manuel in September 2013. More than two and a half years after the damages caused by the storms, 185 communities organized under the Council of Affected Communities of Guerrero Mountain denounced the lack of attention to the commitment that the State Government gave in support of their demands for the reconstruction of their homes and of their productive base. Until today, “dozens of families are still living in the hills under tin roofs as the government still hasn’t rebuilt their homes”, Sintesis de Guerrero said. Taking the main entrances of the city of Tlapa de Comonfort they demanded “immediate attention from the State and Federal Governments and to demand that they meet their unfulfilled [agreements]” according to the Montaña Tlachinollan Human Rights Centre.
According to the same source, “given of the grave crisis of production that the indigenous families are facing, the people whose economy is based on seasonal agriculture and the sale of coffee, they are on the brink of a serious situation.” In spite of that, “the State and Federal Governments have insisted on postponing basic solutions to a structural problem”, such that the Council of Affected Communities proposed the “Raining Maize in the Mountain” program. This proposes the compensation of the deficit of production of basic grains, which has forced dozens of families to migrate to work mostly as casual agricultural workers, and also that homes are built. It is worth remembering that the Guerrero Mountain region is one of the poorest in the country and that around 4,250 homes were damaged by the hurricanes. According to declarations of a member of the Council, “more than two years have passed and the primary still hasn’t been built, we are still missing 13 houses for families that had to leave the community because the town was buried.”
As Tlachinollan indicated, the process of the Council of Affected Communities is carrying out a “struggle against discrimination, the abuse of the authorities and the selective and corrupt practices that are used in this forgotten region […] and to make the authorities promise to fulfill their commitments.” The Council asked to begin dialogue again with the State and Federal Governments to complete the building phase of homes in the “Raining Maize in the Mountain Program.
For more information in Spanish:
BOLETÍN | Mas de 3 mil Indígenas de la Montaña se movilizan contra el hambre y la discriminación (Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montaña Tlachinollan, 31 de marzo de 2016)
Exige el Consejo de Damnificados de La Montaña que se amplíen los apoyos de granos básicos (El Sur Acapulco, 31 de marzo de 2016)
Exigen familias indígenas de La Montaña al gobierno cumpla con la entrega de granos (La Jornada de Guerrero, 31 de marzo de 2016)
Cierran carreteras en Tlapa damnificados de la montaña (Síntesis de Guerrero, 31 de marzo de 2016)
For more information form SIPAZ:
Guerrero: Marcha de familias damnificadas a un año de la tormenta Manuel y el huracán Ingrid (15 de septiembre de 2014)
Guerrero: Se logra acuerdo para implementación de un programa de abastecimiento de granos básicos para los damnificados de la Montaña (22 de febrero de 2014)
Guerrero: Damnificados de la Montaña realizan “Peregrinación del Hambre” por falta de apoyo gubernamental (5 de febrero de 2014)
Guerrero: Damnificados de las tormentas migran para poder subsistir (22 de octubre de 2013)
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