Wayuu indigenous communities will regain rights to the exploitation of salt mines in northern Colombia, Bogota’s Chamber of Commerce determined.
The Chamber of Commerce arbitral tribunal declared null and void a deed that made the Wayuu lose 51% of their ancestral rights over salt mines near Manuare, Guajira. The arbitral tribunal determined that the Colombian Ministry of Commerce had abusively removed the exploitation rights from the Wayuu communities in 2007.
Although the Wayuu leaders said they will undertake judicial actions to secure compesation of the damages suffered as a result of the abusive decision of Minsitry of Commerce, the ruling states that the tribunal has no jurisdiction to order monetary compensation in behalf of the Wayuu and other indigenous communities in La Guajira.