Indigenous block highway again

For the second time this week, indigenous blocked the Panamerican
highway between Popayan and Cali to demand the government to talk to
them about the redistributing of land, healthcare and safety.

Some 500 protesters have blocked the road with buses and trucks.

According to Caracol Radio, riot police have arrived on the Cauca and Valle border to break the roadblock, leading to clashes between authorities and the indigenous for the second time this week. Fighting between police and demonstrators on Monday left at least one dead and dozens wounded.

The indigenous protest, that started early this week with the gathering of at least 12,000 native Colombians from the south west of Colombia, demands President Uribe to talk to them.

Uribe, currently visiting Cali, says he is willing to let the Ministers of Agriculture and Welfare talk to indigenous leaders, but says he is worried about the threats. According to the government, the protest was infiltrated by the FARC, something indigenous leaders deny.

Related posts

Colombia and Russia “reactivate” bilateral ties

Colombia allocates $382M to climate disaster relief

US claims it financed Colombia’s purchase of Israeli spyware