President Boric extends the militarization of the Mapuche zone in southern Chile

The Chilean President, Gabriel Boricextended this Monday for 15 days the militarization in the region of La Araucanía, in the south of the country, where violence does not cease amid a historic demand for land by the Mapuche ethnic group.

Military patrolling routes in La Araucanía to support the security work of the Police was adopted by borik in the first instance last May 16, to provide security in the zone where groups related to the land claims of the people Mapuche They have carried out arson attacks against forestry companies and trucks.

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“The President of the Republic has arranged to extend the state of constitutional exception in the same terms in which it was issued at the first opportunity”, announced Izkia Siches, Minister of the Interior.

Despite the military presence, the attacks have not ceased in La Araucanía, although the government acknowledged that since the return of the military they had decreased. However, last week a forest worker died and at least two others were injured after a gunshot attack near the town of Lumaco.

“As a government, we consider that this is an appropriate measure, evaluating the different acts of violence that are experienced in the Region of La Araucanía, as well as in the (neighboring) provinces of Arauco and Biobío”Siches added.

Attacks by armed groups have become frequent in the regions of Araucania and Biobío, where Mapuchethe largest ethnic group in Chilimaintain a historical land claim to the Chilean State that they consider their own by ancestral right and that were handed over to private parties, mainly to forestry companies and agricultural entrepreneurs.

Minister Siches maintained that the extension includes financial measures for military deployment, a measure that he declared “complementary” to other plans that the government of borik has arranged, which intend to “bring peace and tranquility to these territories.”

borik has maintained from the beginning that the military presence in La Araucanía will be limited, despite pressure from businessmen of the zone and of the right-wing opposition for expanding the powers of the uniformed officers, as happened in the previous government of the conservative Sebastián Piñera (2018-2022).

Piñera dispatched the military on October 12 of last year, but borik he suspended the measure on March 27, two weeks after assuming the presidency, as he had promised during his presidential campaign.

Source: Elcomercio

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