Colombia

Tensions escalate in nationwide protest

Article published on the 2008-10-23 Latest update 2008-10-24 10:49 TU

Indigenous Colombians protest for land rights
(Photo: Reuters)

A tense atmosphere reigns in Colombia as a wave of strikes continues. The country's biggest union called for a nationwide strike on Thursday to protest the government's economic and social policy. Thousands of indigenous Indians have also been marching for the past week to reclaim land and demand more autonomy.

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Students clashed with police on Wednesday in a march in support of the indigenous peoples, three of whom were killed and one hundred injured during protests.

Participants in Thursday's industrial action included teachers, health workers, tax and customs employees, truck and taxi drivers, and university students. The Colombian Justice Ministry said that the government respected the movement and guaranteed the safety of participants.

RFI's correspondent in Colombia, Marie-Eve Detoeuf, says that the government has contributed to the tensions, accusing the indigenous protestors of being left-wing terrorists.

"The Indians of the South-West are demanding land that the state promised them a long time ago. But the government immediately accused them of using tactics of the extreme-left wing guerillas, the Ministry of Agriculture even accused them of being terrorists...they feel that they are victims, rather than players in the Columbian armed conflict. Twenty-two of their leaders have been killed since the beginning of the year."

Meanwhile, a corruption scandal has added to the government's woes. The head of Colombia's intelligence agency resigned on Thursday over allegations that she instructed the agency to spy on opposition politicians.

Maria del Pilar Hurtado presented her resignation to President Alvaro Uribe, to whose office her agency reports. Another top-ranking agency official had already been dismissed for signing orders for intelligence gathering on Senator Gustavo Petro and other leaders of the leftist Alternative Democratic Pole.