Chullpa Ayllu Breaks Silence: Apologies, Truths, and a Call for Peace | Ayllu Chullpa rompe el silencio: disculpas, verdades y llamado a la paz

By Erbol:

NORTH OF POTOSÍ

Three cabildos from the Chullpa ayllu apologize and call for the restoration of peace and tranquility in the municipality of Llallagua

Out of eight cabildos from the Chullpa ayllu, three have issued statements apologizing and calling for “peace and tranquility,” after more than a month has passed since the violent events in Llallagua that left three law enforcement officers and one civilian dead. The grassroots members expressed regret that their authorities allowed themselves to be manipulated by political interests.

The grassroots members of the Chayacari, Sahuta, and Janko Calani cabildos of the Chullpa Ayllu in the municipality of Llallagua, northern Potosí, have broken their silence and issued a public apology for the violent events that took place on June 11 and 12 in Llallagua. They blamed their authorities for everything that happened and lamented that these officials are now evading justice regarding the deaths. They also denounced that some community members were used by sectors aligned with former president Evo Morales, who threatened to take away their lands if they did not join the road blockades in June of this year.

José Ignacio Calani, a grassroots resident, clarified to the local and national public that not all communities of the Chullpa ayllu participated in the blockades and violent events in Llallagua. Only a minority of the ayllu took part in these politically motivated mobilizations, which aimed to enable the candidacy of former president Evo Morales for the August 17 elections. The mobilization was never about food aid or the economic crisis, he stated during the reading of the resolutions.

In the statement from the Chayacari, Sahuta, and Janko Calani cabildos of the Chullpa Ayllu, it was clarified that the marijuana crops discovered by the Special Force to Fight Drug Trafficking (FELCN) in June of this year were not located within the jurisdiction of the Llallagua municipality but rather in other municipalities in northern Potosí.

1.- We inform the people of Llallagua that not all members of the Chullpa ayllu participated in the blockades and confrontations—only a small group, led by traditional authorities and so-called leaders who pressured grassroots members with threats of taking their land if they did not join in criminal acts. Therefore, we ask the people of Llallagua not to generalize, as many in the ayllu stand for dialogue, peace, and mutual understanding.

2.- We categorically and strongly reject all violent and criminal acts, especially the confrontations that occurred on June 11 and 12, which took the lives of police officers and members of the Chullpa ayllu, leaving many families, wives, children, and youth abandoned and grieving.

3.- We call on the justice system to act swiftly and with the full force of the law against both the intellectual and material perpetrators of the tragic events of June 11 and 12. However, we also denounce that innocent people are being arrested and persecuted—some of the detainees did not even take part in the blockades, let alone the confrontations.

4.- We clarify and urge local, regional, national, and international media—as well as unscrupulous individuals using social media—not to associate the municipality of Llallagua or the Chullpa Ayllu with drug trafficking. Llallagua is a town with dignity and history, and its economic activities are focused on mining, agriculture, transport, commerce, and more. We strongly reject the label “Little Mexico,” which misrepresents the context and reality of both Llallagua and the Chullpa Ayllu.

5.- We call on the representatives of Llallagua’s population and authorities to establish a dialogue table to resolve the differences between the civilian population of Llallagua and the residents of the Chullpa Ayllu. However, the ayllu’s delegation must be made up of individuals committed to peace and dialogue, who reside in our municipality and are not part of the current traditional authorities or the so-called leaders who incited our brothers to violence.

6.- On behalf of the grassroots members of the Chullpa Ayllu, we humbly offer our apologies to the entire civilian population of Llallagua, Siglo XX, and Catavi for what occurred on June 11 and 12. Such events must never happen again in our region.

7.- We call for the dissolution of the Federation of Indigenous Ayllus of Northern Potosí, based in the district of Sakamarca, as this organization was the instigator of the blockade and is responsible for dividing the communities, ayllus, and marcas of northern Potosí. For them, political interests come before the collective well-being of the ayllus. No political force should break the bonds of friendship that have been forged over decades between the civilian population of Llallagua and the brothers of the Chullpa Ayllu.

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