(The Guardian) Indigenous groups condemn murder of activist in Peru
Indigenous representatives have been speaking out at Cop28 following the murder this week of an environmental defender in Peru who was opposing illegal logging and drug trafficking in his territory.
Apu Quinto Inuma Alvarado, a Kichwa leader of the Santa Rosillo de Yanayacu community, was shot dead by hooded men on Wednesday while travelling home via boat from a workshop for female environmental leaders in the Amazon.
Quinto Inuma had received numerous death threats over his opposition to illegal logging in and around his communities territories. The Peruvian government said he had been the victim of a “cowardly” attack and promised a thorough investigation, AP reported.
Nelsith Sangama, from the Kichwa community in Peru who is attending the climate summit, said her community and others needed more support to protect climate-critical ecosystems like the Amazon. “We mourn him. He’s a Kichwa brother, a leader who stood up to this threat. He warned about this situation and wasn’t taken seriously, now we are burying him. We ask for justice for this crime. No Indigenous leader should be killed for standing up for their territory,” she said.
“International decision makers need to create something to help environmental defenders with their own budget. The state is responsible for this most recent death. More than 30 have been killed in the Peruvian Amazon. We need our own support. It is the communities that are defending life, defending the forest, not the authorities,” she said.
Figures collected by Global Witness show the world’s largest rainforest is the most dangerous place in the world to be an environmental defender.
Analysis of the $1.7bn Cop26 pledge Indigenous and local communities earlier this week indicated that the commitment was on track and could even be exceeded. The money goes towards establishing land rights of Indigenous communities, which have been shown to be the best protectors of the planet’s biodiversity and climate-critical ecosystems.
Indigenous representatives have been speaking out at Cop28 following the murder this week of an environmental defender in Peru who was opposing illegal logging and drug trafficking in his territory.
Apu Quinto Inuma Alvarado, a Kichwa leader of the Santa Rosillo de Yanayacu community, was shot dead by hooded men on Wednesday while travelling home via boat from a workshop for female environmental leaders in the Amazon.
Quinto Inuma had received numerous death threats over his opposition to illegal logging in and around his communities territories. The Peruvian government said he had been the victim of a “cowardly” attack and promised a thorough investigation, AP reported.
Nelsith Sangama, from the Kichwa community in Peru who is attending the climate summit, said her community and others needed more support to protect climate-critical ecosystems like the Amazon. “We mourn him. He’s a Kichwa brother, a leader who stood up to this threat. He warned about this situation and wasn’t taken seriously, now we are burying him. We ask for justice for this crime. No Indigenous leader should be killed for standing up for their territory,” she said.
“International decision makers need to create something to help environmental defenders with their own budget. The state is responsible for this most recent death. More than 30 have been killed in the Peruvian Amazon. We need our own support. It is the communities that are defending life, defending the forest, not the authorities,” she said.
Figures collected by Global Witness show the world’s largest rainforest is the most dangerous place in the world to be an environmental defender.
Analysis of the $1.7bn Cop26 pledge Indigenous and local communities earlier this week indicated that the commitment was on track and could even be exceeded. The money goes towards establishing land rights of Indigenous communities, which have been shown to be the best protectors of the planet’s biodiversity and climate-critical ecosystems.
