Government intends to dismantle Zapatista autonomous municipalities

In an offensive of a ferocity unprecedented in the last 9 years – since the government of Roberto Albores Aguillen and Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León ordered the dismantling of the Zapatista autonomous municipalities – the autonomous Zapatista communities are suffering a brutal attack on the part of the Mexican State

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Originally published in Spanish by the Center for Political Analysis and Social and Economic Investigations A.C. (CAPISE). http://www.capise.org.mx/?q=node/47 September 25, 2007. The government intends to dismantle Zapatista autonomous municipalities In an offensive of a ferocity unprecedented in the last 9 years – since the government of Roberto Albores Aguillen and Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León ordered the dismantling of the Zapatista autonomous municipalities – the autonomous Zapatista communities are suffering a brutal attack on the part of the Mexican State through their agrarian institutions, “Public Security” instances, the Mexican Federal Army and the formation of paramilitary groups. The increase of aggressions and the intents of land seizures and forced evictions are getting alarmingly worse. The SEDENA The documental and field investigation carried out by CAPISE on the permanent military positions presents us with the following military distribution in each military zone of the state of Chiapas. 29 Military camps in the 39th Military zone. (Selva and North Zone) 23 Military camps in the 31st Military zone. (High and North Zone) 14 Military camps in the 36th Military zone. (Coast Zone) 13 Military camps in the 38th Military zone. (North Zone and border region) In total 79 permanent military camps are noted in the state of Chiapas, 56 of them in the indigenous territory of Chiapas. 9 (nine) Infantry battalions (BI). (The 20th – 101st – 13th – 91st – 31st – 18th – 21st – 38th – 73rd BI) 3 (three) Motorized Cavalry Regiments (RCM). (The 4th – 18th – 15th RCM) 6 (six) Light Infantry Companies (CINE). (The 4th — 15th — 8th — 11th — 12th — 1st) 1 (one) Artillery Regiment (RA). (The 3rd RA) 1 (one) Combat Engineer battalion (BIC). (The 2nd BIC) 1 (one) Military Training Center (CAR) 1 (one) Special Communications battalion (The 1st BCE) 4 (four) Special Forces Units (The 91st BI GAFE, the 101st BI, the 13th BI and the 1st BCE) these four units are practically dispatched throughout the Selva and Los Altos zone of Chiapas. Each military Unit is distributed over several permanent military camps within the indigenous territory of Chiapas. Although at national level the government of Felipe Calderón has practically militarized all “Public Security” institutions and yielded control of the country to the military, in the state of Chiapas the re-composition of the SEDENA on indigenous territory is particularly alarming. Troop quantity has been reduced to be replaced with "quality" military forces, effecting the disbanding of conventional military units on indigenous territory and substituting them with high level Elite Special Forces. The control of the territory and the administration of the natural and biologic resources of the region are a fundamental part of the dispute. The Zapatista project and independent government in free self determination as indigenous communities continue to be regarded by the Mexican State as internal enemy. The strategy in the most defined formation of the antizapatist Contra is clearly endorsed and concealed by federal institutions such as: the Agrarian Prosecutor's Office (PA); the Secretariat for Agrarian Reform (SRA); the National Defense Ministry (SEDENA), and the Public Security institutions on Federal, State and Municipal level, as well as the Congress of Union, all closely interlinked. The Agrarian Prosecutor's Office (PA) and the Secretariat for Agrarian Reform (SRA) The part currently played by the agrarian institutions in the framework of the counterinsurgency war has become relevant, strategic, and guarantees the concretization of the land seizures against Zapatista communities. "Legalizing" the seizures of thousands of hectares land and territories has carried the conflicts between official indigenous organizations and paramilitary organizations against Zapatista communities and authorities to the outmost limit. The Agrarian Prosecutor's Office (PA) endorses alleged communitarian Assemblies where it authorizes and certifies the Ejido conversion of land recuperated by the EZLN in 1994, subsequently enrolling these new ejidos in the PROCEDE, and assigning them to members of official indigenous groups and paramilitary organizations. Hundreds of families and dozens of Zapatista communities are in serious danger of being robbed of and violently displaced from their lands and territories, among them: Community: Ejido Mukulum Bachajón Official municipality: Chilón Autnomous municipality: Olga Isabel Number of hectares threatened by eviction: 1.580 hectares (concretized expropriation) Caracol: Morelia Region: Second Trust Package (the Ejido Mukulum Bachajón was package One). Official municipality: Chilón Autonomous municipality: Olga Isabel Number of hectares threatened by seizure and forced eviction: 1.420 hectares Caracol: Morelia Community: Ranchería el Nance Official municipality: Altamirano Autonomous municipality: Vicente Guerrero Number of hectares threatened by eviction: 1.569 hectares Caracol: Morelia Community: 24 de Diciembre Official municipality: Margaritas Autonomous municipality: San Pedro de Michoacán Number of hectares threatened by eviction: 525 hectares. (concretized eviction) Caracol: La Realidad Community: San Juan del Río Official municipality: Ocosingo Autonomous municipality: San Manuel Number of hectares threatened by seizure and forced eviction: 380 hectares. Caracol: La Garrucha Community: San Alfredo Official municipality: Ocosingo Autonomy municipality: San Manuel Number of hectares threatened by seizure and forced eviction: 140 hectares. Caracol: La Garrucha Community: Casa Blanca Official municipality: Ocosingo Autonomous municipality: San Manuel Number of hectares threatened by seizure and forced eviction: 160 hectares. Caracol: La Garrucha Community: Miguel Hidalgo Official municipality: Ocosingo Autonomous municipality: San Manuel Number of hectares threatened by seizure and forced eviction: 180 hectares. Caracol: La Garrucha Communities: Crucero Agua Azul, San Miguel Agua Azul, Ignacio Allende, Primer Progreso, Segundo Progreso, Embarcadero, Parte Majas, Salto del Trige and Bolon Ajaw Official municipalities: Chilón and Tumbalá Autonomous municipality: Olga Isabel Number of hectares threatened by eviction: 2.580 hectares Caracol: Morelia and Roberto Barrios Community: 20 de Febrero Official municipality: Ocosingo Autonomous municipality: San Manuel Number of hectares threatened by forced eviction: 230 hectares. (concretized eviction) Caracol: La Garrucha Community: Nuevo Rosario Official municipality: Ocosingo Autonomous municipality: Francisco Gómez Number of hectares threatened by seizure and forced eviction: 180 hectares. Caracol: La Garrucha Community: Nueva Revolución Official municipality: Roberto Barrios Autonomous municipality: Akabalná Number of hectares threatened by seizure and forced eviction: 1.200 hectares. Caracol: Roberto Barrios Community: San Patricio Official municipality: Ocosingo Autonomous municipality: Francisco Gómez Number of hectares threatened by seizure and forced eviction: 400 hectares. Caracol: Roberto Barrios Subtotal of hectares designed for seizures and evictions: 10.544 hectares. The present list of populations subjected to and threatened by being robbed and violently displaced from their lands and territories totals less than a half of the threatened communities; this enumeration is only partial. The threats of seizures and evictions are accompanied by daily aggressions against Zapatista support bases of the types: threats, arbitrary detentions, damages of private property, lesions, injuries under the use of prohibited arms, robberies, abuses of office, etc. In a particularly shameful and selective form, federal and state authorities adopt political prisoners to use them in illegal and illegitimate negotiations, attempting to trade releases for evictions. Today, in clear and open form and actions, the Mexican State has unleashed an open and frontal war against the Zapatista indigenous communities. The Center for Political Analysis and Social and Economic Investigations demands: I. The immediate cessation of all types of aggressions against the Zapatista communities. II. The immediate withdrawal of all permanent military camps from the indigenous territory of Chiapas. III. The immediate release of all political prisoners. IV. The definitive cancellation of any new intention of forced evictions within the indigenous territory of Chiapas. V. The immediate opening of an investigation against authorities of the Agrarian Prosecutor's Office and the Secretariat of Agrarian Reform, to assess and determine responsibilities with regard to the abuses of office and the corruption of government officials. VI. The opening of an investigation to determine responsibilities regarding the performance of the Mexican Federal Army with regard to its links to paramilitary groups in the indigenous territory of Chiapas. VII. The immediate halt of the counterinsurgency war carried out against the indigenous Zapatista communities. To the national and international communication media. To all reporters. First and only. Another war exists, a mediatic war. The strategy: silence. We respectfully appeal to you and invite you to break the silence. In the Mexican Southeast exists repression, imprisonment, impunity and media silence against the Zapatista indigenous communities. We are inviting you to break silence, only that, inviting you. Center for Political Analysis and Social and Economic Investigations A.C. (CAPISE)