Development: On 18 April, two sheds, one tractor, a van, and 3,000 hay bales were torched in Chile’s southern La Araucanía Region.
Significance: This is the second arson attack reported in the region this week after hooded criminals burnt 12 trucks and four pieces of forestry machinery on 16 April. Such incidences are common in La Araucanía, home to the indigenous Mapuche. The Mapuche have long been at loggerheads with the state and private businesses who they accuse of stealing their ancestral lands. While the land dispute is unresolved, the violence continues.
- Enforcing public security in La Araucanía is a key priority for the centre-right Chile Vamos coalition government led by President Sebastián Piñera. In response to this week’s attacks, Interior Minister Andrés Chadwick said the government had decided to “step up” its efforts by sending reinforcements in the form of 100 members of the Carabineros (militarised police) and 38 new vehicles to the area. Additionally, drones will be sent in to monitor the area from above. Meanwhile, volunteer firefighters have been working to extinguish the flames.
- No suspects have been named in the latest attack. But a note left at the scene of the crime demanded that the Mapuche ‘machi’ (shaman) Celestino Córdova, who has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for murdering a married farming couple in 2013, should be freed.
- The protests demanding Córdova’s release have taken on a new urgency in recent months. For the past 95 days, the shaman has gone on a hunger strike to campaign for his right to participate in the Mapuche’s annual religious ceremony, ‘rewe’. After losing 30kg and recently announcing he would stop drinking liquids, yesterday Córdova was transferred from prison to a hospital in the La Araucanía regional capital, Temuco.
- Human Rights groups such as Amnesty International have expressed concern over Córdova's deteriorating medical condition, stressing that his life could be in danger. In a statement, they said it was urgent to find a way to allow him to carry out the ritual for the sake of his health. They have also sent a letter to Chile’s gendarmerie calling for greater respect for the culture and religion of Mapuche people who are in jail. Any failure to do so could violate international treaties for indigenous rights such as convention 169 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
Looking Ahead: The Chilean government has stressed that it will not engage in negotiations with the Mapuche under pressure. It has yet to establish a table for peace and dialogue as outlined in Piñera’s security policy.
