Photo: IVAN ALVARADO/REUTERS / Deutsche Welle
The Minister of the Interior of Chile, Izkia Siches, decreed this Monday (16.05.2022) “state of exception” in two southern regions, a measure that he fiercely criticized for months, and that allows the deployment of the Armed Forces to try to appease the growing violence in the area of the so-called “ Mapuche conflict”.
“We have decided to make use of all the tools to guarantee the safety of our citizens by declaring a state of emergency (a type of state of exception)” announced at a press point from the Government headquarters.
This measure, which implies a military deployment, will govern the entire region of La Araucanía and two provinces of the Biobío region (south) to “protect the routes, allow the free movement of people and supplies,” he said after acknowledging an increase in violence in recent months.
In these and other areas of southern Chile there has been a territorial dispute for decades between the State, some Mapuche communities and forestry companies that exploit lands considered ancestral by the indigenous people.
In this context, arson attacks on machinery and property, shootings with fatalities and hunger strikes by indigenous prisoners are becoming more frequent.
Until now, the progressive president Gabriel Boric had been reluctant to militarization, saying that it only put more tension on the conflict, and had fiercely criticized his predecessor, the conservative Sebastián Piñera, for promoting it between October 2006 and March 2022.
After assuming the Presidency last March, Boric decided not to perpetuate this measure and pointed to a “dialogue” strategy through the territorial deployment of different authorities, however, this was not well received for some radical groups, which continued to carry out attacks and sabotaged several visits by the Executive.
Government of #Boric 🇨🇱 announces a state of emergency in the “Mapuche conflict” zone
A few months ago, Gabriel Boric criticized the militarization of southern Chile applied by Sebastián Piñera, but now his Executive ordered it to “guarantee security”. , 2022
59462532They call to organize the armed resistance
In parallel, from the right and the center, they pressed for more security measures and accused the president of “inaction” and of be an “accomplice of violence”.
In addition to the military deployment, Siches detailed other measures such as the request for a preferential prosecutor for crimes related to drug trafficking ico and theft of wood, the promotion of the creation of a Ministry of Indigenous Peoples and the investment of 400.000 millions of pesos (460 million dollars) to improve infrastructure and services in the area.
The The state of emergency was received with praise from the ruling party and the opposition, although it received criticism from representatives of Mapuche communities, the majority ethnic group in the country, and some sectors of the left, who denounce a drastic change in the president’s policy.
“We appreciate that the Government has realized that the state of emergency was an urgent measure for the suffering of the measures in Biobío and Araucanía”, said the senator from Evópoli ( right) Felipe Kast.
Former President and Senator Ricardo Lagos (2000-2000) noted on Twitter that supports “the decisions I made e Boric to be able to give more security to the community and at the same time promote dialogue with a strong investment in public infrastructure and other areas”.
Last week, the Arauco-Malleco Coordinator (CAM), a radical indigenous organization that has claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks since the 1990 decade, called on the “armed resistance” to the possibility of militarization.
In an interview with a local media outlet, the group leader, Héctor Llaitul, made a call to “prepare the forces and organize the armed resistance for autonomy” , to which the Executive responded on Sunday by announcing that it will file a complaint against him.
mg (ef, afp)