Armed Attack Against Inhabitants of Cuatro Venados, Oaxaca

Communiqué from inhabitants of Cuatro Venados, Oaxaca, declaring maximum alert in the community following armed attacks seeking to impose megaprojects in their territory

To the Media

To the Free and Independent Media

To the National Indigenous Congress and the Indigenous Governing Council

To the Zapatista Army of National Liberation

February 9^th, 2021

As community members and neighbors of El Rebollero, Rio Minas and Los Arquitos, of the municipality of San Pablo Cuatro Venados, Oaxaca, we declare maximum alert.

On February 9^th, at approximately 2:00 P.M., around twenty people with military-grade firearms attacked us once again.

These people arrived in two pickup trucks, one white and the other red. The trucks came from the direction of El Carrizal and Tiracoz of Cuilapam de Guerrero. The armed attack lasted approximately twenty minutes. The most worrying thing is that other people from outside our community continue arriving and are hiding in the brush along the river. Our families are worried of what could become a blood bath in our communities. There are rumors that they want to attack our community again, just as they did on May 31, 2019. On that day, more than 500 people demolished our houses with heavy machinery, burning our corn and stealing our cattle. Just like today, they were all armed with high caliber weapons.

We hold the three levels of government responsible since we have denounced these attacks more than once. We are Indigenous people of San Pablo Cuatro Venados and the lands that we live on belong to our ancestors. We know that at least three mining concessions have been issued in our lands: Title 217598, issued in 2002, located in the Cuatro Venados lot with an area of 132 hectares; Title 227548, issued in 2006, located in the la Soledad lot with an area of 3600 hectares; and the third concession, Title 242665, issued in 2013, covers the municipalities of Cuatro Venados and San Miguel Peras, located in Moisés lot with an area of 1400 hectares. The three concessions principally seek gold and silver exploitation.

We know that they want our lands in order to sell them, just like the water. We want to make it clear to the three levels of government that we will defend the memory and dignity of our grandparents who have struggled and defended this territory.

Community Members of El Rebollero, Rio Minas and Los Arquitos

Never more a Mexico without us!

Photo taken by Santiago Navarro F. of a young girl in Cuatro Venados grazing her goats