Currently, all protected areas in southern Venezuela are being destroyed by illegal mining and armed groups, including ELN and FARC, have taken control of the mining business, causing the destruction of the Amazon forest and a state of widespread violence.
The first victims of this situation are the indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants and peasants who live in the region. Since the release of the Orinoco Mining Arc decree in 2016, different indigenous organizations have expressed rejection for not been consulted and for the problems that mining has brought to their lives: murder, prostitution, rape, new forms of slavery, displacement of their lands. Indigenous leaders demand compliance with the self-demarcation of their terrorists and the right to exercise their autonomy.
However, until now the National Government has not responded to these claims and on the contrary, it has extended the Mining Arc model to the rest of the country, such as the Zulia region, destined for the exploitation of coal. Likewise, it is urgent that the Venezuelan State participates in the Escazú Agreement, signs it and ratifies it, to advance towards greater protection for our social leaders, as well as greater access to information in relation to projects that affect people's lives in their territories.