Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Pastaza (Agenzia Fides) - Riots and massacres among different tribes of Indians, with regards to the exploitation of the land of the Amazon: it is due to the tensions suffered in recent weeks in Eastern Ecuador, in the Amazon rainforest, that have generated the strong concern of Mgr. Jesus Esteban Sadaba, Bishop of the Vicariate of Aguarico. As learned by Fides, at the conclusion of the recent meeting of the Ecclesial Amazon Network, the Bishop has launched an alarm: the authorities in the area "have done nothing to clarify the facts about the community of Yarentano", where 20 indigenous ethnic Taromenane were massacred. The Bishop said: "How is it possible that only yesterday (24 April), the Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation into this case that occurred more than a month ago and where even two girls were abducted?", Fearing the risk that the conflict will spread, with more serious consequences.
According to information sent to Fides, the massacre of Taromenane is a revenge for the murder of a couple of the population of Yarentano. The situation is very complex, it is generated by the process of industrialization of a part of the Amazon, home to indigenous groups called "hidden people."
The exploitation of the Ecuadorian Amazon and colonization accelerated of uncontaminated territories have led indigenous peoples to forced displacements due to the transformation of their habitat and the reduction of sources of livelihood. Among the Waori on one side and the Tagaeri and Taromenane on the other a deep hole has been dug. The first in fact have come into contact with the outside world, and many work in the same oil and mining companies. The other two groups have however refused any kind of relationship with the outside world and live in an impenetrable area of the Amazon rainforest, in Yasuní National Park.
According to the president of the National Federation of the indigenous of Ecuador (CONAIE), Humberto Cholango, "the tragic stories are the result of a structural problem. The development model followed by Ecuador has exacerbated the pressure on the lives of indigenous peoples. The pressures on indigenous territories have resulted in conflicts among the Waori and the Tagaeri and Taromenane tribes."
The missionaries of the Catholic Church offer itineraries for education and evangelization of the villages and teach to respect the diversity of cultures and indigenous groups who live in those areas. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 27/04/2013)
