San Francisco de Yuruaní

San Francisco de Yuruaní, also known as Kumarakapay, is a town in Venezuela.[1][2][3] The majority of people there are members of the indigenous Pemon people.[4]

Kumarakapay
San Francisco de Yuruaní
CountryVenezuela
StateBolívar (state)
MunicipalityGran Sabana
Ethnicities
 • MajorityPemon

Economy
Shop in San Francisco de Yuruaní

The town's economy relies almost entirely on tourism, mainly coming from Brazil.[5][6]

Kumarakapay massacre
See also: Pemon conflict and Crisis in Venezuela

In 2019, Western countries announced international aid to Venezuela. Venezuelan president Nicolas 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.[7]

On Friday, February 22, 2019, the Venezuelan Army sent troops to the Brazilian border, driving through Kumarakapay, despite the fact the tribe held autonomy over the town.[8][9][10] Local Indigenous Protesters and leaders in Kumarakapay attempted to halt advancing personnel carriers by building a road blockade, managing to detain several soldiers.[11][9]

The other Venezuelan soldiers fired back 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.[12][10][13][1][4] Hundreds of Pemon fled into the local woods and surrounding communities to escape. 23 people were arrested and tortured by the army shortly afterwards.[9] 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.[14][15]

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.[9]

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 Montayo 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." Montayo and his companions have not been seen since.[9][16]

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.[17][18][19]

The army later killed 11 people in Santa Elena de Uairén.[4][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 principal leader of the Venezuelan opposition, Juan Guaido, 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]

References
  1. "Venezuelan army opens fire on Pemon tribe, Venezuela". Survival International. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  2. "Venezuelan Hot Sauce Has a Secret Ingredient: Ants". National Geographic. 2015-09-21. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  3. OAS (2009-08-01). "OAS - Organization of American States: Democracy for peace, security, and development". Organization of American States. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  4. "Venezeulan Massacres Investigated | RFK Human Rights". Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  5. "Sector turismo en Bolívar está paralizado casi en 100%". Crónica Uno (in Spanish). 2021-08-25. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  6. "Venezuela: víctimas de un genocidio de nuestro tiempo". PanAm Post (in Spanish). 2019-12-01. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  7. "'Venezuelan blood is being spilled': tension flares near border with Brazil". The Guardian. 2019-02-24. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  8. "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.
  9. "Soldiers held hostage, villagers killed: the untold story of Venezuelan aid violence". Reuters. 2019-05-21. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  10. Bonet, Natalia Garcia. "Venezuela: indigenous people are forgotten victims of crisis". The Conversation. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  11. "Venezuelan troops kill one in first bloodshed linked to aid standoff". Saudi Gazette. 2019-02-22. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  12. "As tensions over aid rise, Venezuelan troops fire on villagers, two dead". WION. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  13. "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.
  14. "The Murder of Venezuela's Visionary Adventure Guide". Outside Online. 2019-06-24. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  15. "In Venezuela, One Member Dies as Church Keeps Operating Amid Challenges". Adventist World. 2019-03-02. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  16. Diario, El Nuevo. "El Nuevo Diario". El Nuevo Diario (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  17. "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.
  18. Fernández, Glorimar (2021-01-03). "Perfil | Salvador Franco comandó el Cuerpo de Seguridad Indígena Aretauka". El Pitazo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  19. "Fallece líder pemón Ricardo Delgado por COVID-19 en Brasil". Efecto Cocuyo. 2020-12-03. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  20. "NowThis: The Massacre You Haven't Heard About | RFK Human Rights". Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  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 Portuguese). Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  23. "Crisis mounts in Venezuela as indigenous activists are shot dead by soldiers". Indianz. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
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