The Colombian indigenous people are responsible for the custody of the territory in the territories they are legally managing, and for its execution they have a special institution, Kiwe Thegnas or Jagoba Indígena, which acts without weapons, provided with rods. Well, during this period in the northern regions of Cauca and Tierradentro the drug trafficking groups and dissidents of the FARC have threatened indigenous organizations, organizations and communities and killed 15 authorities and guards with firearms.

Indigenous NASA has been trying to reclaim their territory for years. They have paid dearly for tackling secular marginalization and oppression with dignity and courage. Hundreds and hundreds of platforms have been killed by all kinds of Colombian armed agents since the CRIC was established in 1971. And yet, over these years, they have advanced by weaving their dreams, building a more just society, fighting for human rights, revitalizing their identity, their culture and their language, acquiring equity, and caring for and respecting Mother Earth. All this with courage, with words and blood, offering fraternity, opening our hearts and sowing in the earth those who fall and have died on the way. And always moving forward, without crouching, without despair, clothed in hope.

When President Duque seized power in Colombia, he suspended the peace treaty signed by President Santos, Juan Manuel Santos. Colombian society and indigenous movements have made many efforts to achieve compliance with the peace agreement, but have seen no progress in it.

We, who signed this letter, have been working for almost ten years with the indigenous community nasa of Cauca, especially in the area of Tuunxiwxu-Toribio, in northern Cauca, in an attempt to revitalize the Nasa language. We live drowned in helplessness and despair over the past four months when our friends are dying, threatening, beating, assaulting and humiliating. The very technological training we have in Tuunxiwxu has also had to be suspended due to its insecurity.

For all these reasons, Colombia has called for a general mobilization against the situation of violence in Colombia on 21 November and to demand compliance with the agreement. We also wish to add our voice to this demand and for this we invite the Basque people to meet on 23 November at 11:00 in the garden of the mairu Egiar of Oiartzun. From this sacred place, in addition to sending our message of solidarity, we will also ask the Ksxaw’ex (spirits) to take care of Mother Earth for our relatives.

* Andoni Barreña and Ane Ortega are members of the Garabide Association and the UNESCO Chair of World Linguistic Heritage of the UPV-EHU, respectively.