On July 10th, national and international civil society organizations carried out a human rights observation mission in the municipality of Chenalho, Chiapas, to document the situation of part of the 3,205 people who are displaced after the violence that escalated on July 8th in the municipalities of Pantelho and the outskirts of Chenalho.
On July 15th, the mission issued a joint statement in which it explained that so far there are approximately 3,205 displaced people, mostly women, elderly women and men, girls and boys, in the municipalities of Chenalho, San Cristobal de Las Casas and San Juan Cancuc.
It highlighted the lack of action by the State when it comes to “installing shelters and a comprehensive care mechanism for displaced people.” It was “civil society, Believing People and the churches, (who) promoted camps to attend the serious humanitarian crisis.” It was concerned about the isolation of the location of these camps, “since the lack of a telephone connection increases their risk situation in the face of a probable attack.” They identified several diseases within the displaced population as well as strong food insecurity, because displaced families totally depend on external aid for their food and are at high risk of losing their harvest if they do not return to their communities soon.
Faced with the humanitarian emergency, they demanded from the federal and state governments comprehensive attention to forced displacement through actions with cultural relevance.
For their part, on July 14th, the Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Chiapas published a message regarding the events of violence and insecurity and stated, “displaced brothers: we share your pain and remind you that they are not alone.”
They thanked all the people who have helped and the told government authorities that they noticed growing insecurity, poverty and violence, and urged them “to find a root solution.”
For more information in Spanish:
Pronunciamiento conjunto. Sobre la situación de violencia generalizada en Pantelhó y la crisis de desplazamiento forzado interno. (Comunicado, Frayba, 15 de julio de 2021)
Mensaje de los Obispos de la provincia Eclesiástica de Chiapas ante los acontecimientos de violencia e inseguridad que sufren los hermanos desplazados. (Vida Nueva, 15 de julio de 2021)
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