Kumarakapay massacre

Last updated
Tumeremo massacre
Part of the 2019 shipping of humanitarian aid to Venezuela
San Francisco de Yuruani.jpg
Date22 February 2019 (2019-02-22)
TargetPemon indigenous members
Deaths11-25
Injured12

On 22 February 2019, during the shipping of humanitarian aid to Venezuela, the Venezuelan Army sent troops to the Brazilian border, driving through Kumarakapay in the territory of the Pemon tribe. Local indigenous protesters and leaders in Kumarakapay attempted to halt advancing personnel carriers by building a road blockade, managing to detain several soldiers. The Venezuelan soldiers fired at them, killing at least eleven Pemon in total and injuring around 12 more.

Contents

Background

In 2019, a coalition of countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia announced international aid to Venezuela. Nicolás Maduro, who portrayed the efforts as an international effort aiming for his overthrow, enforced a program to obstruct the aid program. Numerous clashes occurred between Government forces and Pemon protesters. [1]

Massacre

On 22 February 2019, the Venezuelan Army sent troops to the Brazilian border, driving through Kumarakapay, despite the fact the tribe held autonomy over the town. [2] [3] [4] Local indigenous protesters and leaders in Kumarakapay attempted to halt advancing personnel carriers by building a road blockade, managing to detain several soldiers. [5] [3]

The other Venezuelan soldiers fired at them, killing five Pemon and injuring around 12 more. The army is reported to have pursued protestors and dissidents into their homes where they were shot. [6] [4] [7] [8] [9] [10] Hundreds of Pemon fled into the local woods and surrounding communities to escape. 23 people were arrested and tortured by the army shortly afterwards. [3] Among those killed was a local tour guide, Rolando Garcia, and his wife, Zoraida Rodríguez, who was killed on the doorsteps outside her own home. [11] [12]

Justo Noguera, the governor of Bolivar, responded that the Pemons' attempt to stop the military vehicles was a terrorist attack; also denying that the people killed were civilians. [3]

Aftermath

The next day, residents of San Francisco de Yuruaní attempted to stop another group of soldiers on their way to the border. Jose Montoya, a Venezuelan General serving as the Army's commander for the region, attempted to intervene on behalf of the Pemon.

The military responded faster than the previous time, arresting Montoya and four Pemons almost immediately. One local overheard an officer yell, "So you Pemon tribesmen think you’re tough? You’re going to die here." Montoya and his companions have not been seen since. [3] [13]

Over 966–1,500 tribesmen from the region, many from Kumarakapay, fled to Brazil shortly after the attacks, fearful of further reprisals and human rights violations, forming one of the largest exoduses in South American history. The town's mayor also fled the country to Brazil. [14] [15] [16]

The army later killed 11 people in Santa Elena de Uairén. [10] [17]

Former governor Andrés Velásquez declared that fourteen people were killed and that many of them had gunshots wounds in their heads, indicating involvement of snipers. He further explained that "many have died due to lack of attention because the Santa Elena hospital did not have blood, saline solution, reactives nor oxygen, or operating rooms to intervene the patients", that the people died bleeding and the hospital personnel could not do anything to help them. [18] By the end of the conflict, National Assemblyman Romel Guzamana  [ es ], a chieftain of the Pemon community in Gran Sabana, stated that at least 25 Pemon were killed and described the events as a "massacre" committed by Venezuelan troops. [19] The National Assembly added that 80 Pemons had disappeared since the massacre, in addition to the death toll claimed by Guzamana. [20]

Reactions

The Venezuelan authorities later accused the Pemon locals of being backed by foreign governments; Jorge Arreaza, tweeting," From Peru they enter through Colombia and receive support also in Brazil. It is a coup strategy of triangulation of Lima Cartel governments to produce violence, death and political destabilization in Venezuela." [21] Jorge Rodriguez voiced similar beliefs. [22]

The main leader of the Venezuelan opposition, Juan Guaidó, tweeted later that the incident in Kumarakapay, as well as Maduro's treatment of Indigenous communities in general, was "murder" that would "not go unpunished." [23]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pemon</span> Indigenous people living in areas of Venezuela, Brazil, and Guyana

The Pemon or Pemón (Pemong) are indigenous people living in areas of Venezuela, Brazil, and Guyana. The Pemon people are divided into many dialects and traditions, which are Arekuna, Kamarakoto, and Taurepang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plan Ávila</span> Venezuelan military contingency plan

Plan Ávila is a military contingency plan by the Venezuelan Army to maintain public order in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. The plan was first implemented in 1989 by the Carlos Andrés Pérez government in response to the Caracazo riots, where hundreds were killed by military and armed police. President Hugo Chávez also ordered activation of the plan in response to the 11 April 2002 Llaguno Overpass events, but high-ranking members of the Armed Forces refused to carry out the plan, wanting to avoid a massacre like the Caracazo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Elena de Uairén</span> City in Guayana, Venezuela

Santa Elena de Uairén is a small Venezuelan city in the state of Bolívar near the border with Brazil and Guyana. It was founded by Lucas Fernández Peña in 1923. The city's name originates from his first daughter, Elena, and Uairén, the river that crosses the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human rights in Venezuela</span>

The record of human rights in Venezuela has been criticized by human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Concerns include attacks against journalists, political persecution, harassment of human rights defenders, poor prison conditions, torture, extrajudicial executions by death squads, and forced disappearances.

The Tumeremo massacre occurred on 8 March 2016, in which 28 miners were murdered and kidnapped in the town of Tumeremo, located in the state of Bolívar, Venezuela. On the night of 4 March 2016, they were in the Atenas mine, on the border between the municipalities of Sifontes and Roscio, a poor area where, like most of the southeast of the country, the main economic activity is mining.

The 2018 Tumeremo massacre is at least the third civilian massacre of miners in the Venezuelan town of Tumeremo since 2016. Occurring over three days from 14 October 2018, it is suspected that a Colombian guerrilla group is responsible for the murders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venezuelan presidential crisis</span> Political crisis in Venezuela from 2019 to 2023

The Venezuelan presidential crisis was a political crisis concerning the leadership and the legitimate president of Venezuela between 2019 and 2023, with the nation and the world divided in support for Nicolás Maduro or Juan Guaidó.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the 2019 Venezuelan protests</span> Overview of events

The 2019 Venezuelan protests began in the first days of January as a result of the Venezuelan presidential crisis. Protests against the legitimacy of the Nicolás Maduro's presidency began at the time of his second inauguration following a controversial presidential election in 2018. Rallies of support were also held for President of the National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, with some Venezuelans and foreign government's recognizing him as the acting President of Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 shipping of humanitarian aid to Venezuela</span>

During the presidential crisis between the Venezuelan governments of Nicolás Maduro and Juan Guaidó, a coalition of Colombia, Brazil, the United States and the Netherlands attempted to bring essential goods as a response to shortages in Venezuela. The three main bases used for the operation are: the Colombian city of Cúcuta, the Brazilian state of Roraima,, and the island of Curaçao, of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venezuelan crisis defection</span> Defections during crisis in Venezuela

Defections from the Bolivarian Revolution occurred under the administrations of Presidents Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro. The 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis concerning who is the legitimate President of Venezuela has been underway since 10 January 2019, when the opposition-majority National Assembly declared that incumbent Nicolás Maduro's 2018 reelection was invalid and the body declared its president, Juan Guaidó, to be acting president of the nation. Guaidó encouraged military personnel and security officials to withdraw support from Maduro, and offered an amnesty law, approved by the National Assembly, for military personnel and authorities who help to restore constitutional order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pemon conflict</span> Conflict in Venezuela

The Pemon conflict is an ongoing conflict which is a part of the wider Crisis in Venezuela. The conflict is centered around mining disputes between the Maduro government, the Pemon nation and armed irregular groups. The Pemon nation is divided by the border between Venezuela and Brazil, resulting in Pemon refugees regularly crossing the border into Brazil for safety and medical care. The conflict is centred on disputes over mining in the Orinoco Mining Arc, a 112,000 km2 area of the Amazon Rainforest rich in gold, diamonds, coltan, and uranium, which are also home to the Pemon people.

The following lists events in the year 2021 in Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Vega raid</span> 2021 police raid on the gang controlling La Vega Parish, Caracas, Venezuela

The La Vega raid was a police raid that occurred on 8 January 2021 in La Vega Parish, Caracas, Venezuela. The objective of the raid was to take control of La Vega Parish, which was controlled by a criminal organization, led by Leonardo José Polanco Angulo; he was a drug lord, known as "El Loco Leo". Members of the Venezuelan National Police (PNB), the Special Action Forces (FAES) and the Venezuelan National Guard seized control of the parish, killing a number of people in the neighborhood. According to investigative journalists and human rights organizations, the death toll was 23 people. By 11 January, no member of the Nicolás Maduro administration had made a statement about the events or announced a death toll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apure clashes (2021–2022)</span>

The 2021 Apure clashes started on 21 March 2021 in the south of the Páez Municipality, in the Apure state in Venezuela, specifically in La Victoria, a location bordering with Colombia, between guerrilla groups identified as Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) dissidents and the Venezuelan government led by Nicolás Maduro.

Salvador Franco was a Venezuelan Pemon political prisoner. Franco was detained in December 2019 accused of having participated on the 22 December in a barracks assault in Bolívar state, dying afterwards due to lack of medical attention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco de Yuruaní</span> Place in Bolívar, Venezuela

San Francisco de Yuruaní, also known as Kumarakapay, is a town in Venezuela. The majority of people there are members of the indigenous Pemon people.

Since 2003, the Venezuelan State considers the treatment of Latin American indigenous peoples during the Spanish colonization as "genocide".

References

  1. ↑ "'Venezuelan blood is being spilled': tension flares near border with Brazil". The Guardian . 2019-02-24. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  2. ↑ "As tensions over aid rise, Venezuelan troops fire on villagers, kill two". The Straits Times . 2019-02-23. ISSN   0585-3923 . Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Soldiers held hostage, villagers killed: the untold story of Venezuelan aid violence". Reuters . 2019-05-21. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  4. 1 2 Bonet, Natalia Garcia (30 April 2019). "Venezuela: indigenous people are forgotten victims of crisis". The Conversation . Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  5. ↑ "Venezuelan troops kill one in first bloodshed linked to aid standoff". Saudi Gazette . 2019-02-22. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  6. ↑ "As tensions over aid rise, Venezuelan troops fire on villagers, two dead". WION . Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  7. ↑ "Crisis en Venezuela: informan de 2 muertos y varios heridos por choque entre militares e indígenas pemones cerca de la frontera con Brasil". BBC News (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  8. ↑ "Venezuelan army opens fire on Pemon tribe, Venezuela". Survival International . Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  9. ↑ "Venezuelan Hot Sauce Has a Secret Ingredient: Ants". National Geographic . 2015-09-21. Archived from the original on November 22, 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  10. 1 2 "Venezuelan Massacres Investigated". Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights . Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  11. ↑ "The Murder of Venezuela's Visionary Adventure Guide". Outside Online . 2019-06-24. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  12. ↑ "In Venezuela, One Member Dies as Church Keeps Operating Amid Challenges". Adventist World . 2019-03-02. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  13. ↑ Diario, El Nuevo. "El Nuevo Diario". El Nuevo Diario (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  14. ↑ "Más de 960 indígenas pemones desplazados a Brasil, luego del ataque armado de febrero". Crónica Uno (in Spanish). 2019-07-23. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  15. ↑ Fernández, Glorimar (2021-01-03). "Perfil | Salvador Franco comandó el Cuerpo de Seguridad Indígena Aretauka". El Pitazo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  16. ↑ "Fallece líder pemón Ricardo Delgado por COVID-19 en Brasil". Efecto Cocuyo . 2020-12-03. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  17. ↑ "NowThis: The Massacre You Haven't Heard About | RFK Human Rights". Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights . Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  18. ↑ "Al menos 14 muertos en la frontera de Venezuela con Brasil". The Objective (in Spanish). 24 February 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  19. ↑ "Confirman 25 muertos en Santa Elena de Uairén y denuncian uso de presos para reprimir". NTN24 (in Spanish). 24 February 2019. Archived from the original on 25 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  20. ↑ "El Parlamento venezolano denuncia la desaparición de 80 indígenas". Diario Las Americas (in Spanish). 9 April 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  21. ↑ PERÚ, NOTICIAS EL COMERCIO (2019-12-23). "Venezuela: Vladimir Padrino confirma que grupo rebelde tomó Batallón de Luepa en Gran Sabana, cerca de la frontera con Brasil; hay un muerto y roban fusiles y municiones | Jorge Arreaza señala que los rebeldes tienen su base de operaciones en el Perú | Pemones | Batallón 513 Mariano Montilla | Nicolás Maduro | MUNDO". El Comercio (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  22. ↑ "Venezuela condena possível refúgio a desertores pelo governo brasileiro". Brasil de Fato (in Brazilian Portuguese). 30 December 2019. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  23. ↑ "Crisis mounts in Venezuela as indigenous activists are shot dead by soldiers". Indianz. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.