Chile’s Boric government gives in to pressure and imposes state of exception in Mapuche conflict zone

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Chilean Interior Minister Izkia Siches on Monday imposed a “state of exception” (similar to the state of emergency) in two southern regions, a measure she has strongly criticized for months that allows the use of the armed forces to appease the growing violence in the region of the so-called “Mapuche conflict.”

“We have decided to use all means to ensure the safety of our citizens by imposing a state of exception,” he said at a press briefing at the seat of government.

This measure, which involves military deployment, will apply throughout the Araucanía region and in two provinces of the Biobío region (south) to “protect the roads and allow the free movement of people and goods,” he said, after acknowledging an increase in violence in recent months.

In these and other areas of southern Chile, there has been a territorial dispute for decades between the state, some Mapuche communities and forestry companies that exploit land considered ancestral by the indigenous people.

In this context, arson attacks on machinery and land, shootings with fatalities, and hunger strikes by indigenous prisoners have become increasingly frequent.

CHANGE OF POSITION

Until now, leftist President Gabriel Boric had opposed militarization on the grounds that it would only exacerbate tensions in the conflict. He had heavily criticized his predecessor, conservative Sebastián Piñera, for pushing it between October 2021 and March 2022.

After taking office last March, Boric decided not to continue this measure and sought a strategy of “dialogue” through the territorial deployment of various authorities, but this was not well received by some radical groups, which continued to carry out attacks and sabotaged several executive visits.

At the same time, they urged more security measures from the right and center, accusing the president of “inaction” and “complicity in the violence.”

In addition to the military deployment, Siches cited other measures such as calling for a preferred prosecutor for crimes related to drug trafficking and timber theft, a push to create a ministry for indigenous peoples, and investing 400 billion pesos (US$460 million) to improve infrastructure and services in the territory.

AMID CRITICISM AND PRAISE

The state of emergency has been welcomed by both the government and the opposition, although it has been criticized by representatives of Mapuche communities – the country’s largest ethnic group – and some sections of the left, who decry a drastic change in presidential policy.

“We welcome the government’s recognition that the state of emergency was an urgent measure for the suffering of the people of Biobío and Araucanía,” said Evópoli Senator (right) Felipe Kast.

Former president and senator Ricardo Lagos (2000-2006) said on Twitter that he supported “the decisions made by Boric to provide greater security to the community while promoting dialogue with strong investments in public infrastructure and other areas.”

Last week, the Arauco-Malleco Coordinating Committee (CAM), a radical indigenous organization that has claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks since the 1990s, called for “armed resistance” to possible militarization.

In an interview with local media, the group’s leader, Héctor Llaitul, called for “preparing forces and organizing armed resistance for autonomy,” to which the executive responded Sunday by announcing that he would file a lawsuit against him.

MAPUCHE CONFLICT

The Mapuche conflict involves indigenous Mapuche communities located in Araucanía and nearby regions of Chile and Argentina. It is often referred to as a conflict between the Mapuche and the Chilean government or state.

Big forestry companies and their contractors, Chilean police, and some non-indigenous landowners have been confronted by militant Mapuche organizations and local Mapuche communities. The clashes have been classified as an indigenous self-determination conflict.

Mapuche activists demand greater autonomy, recognition of rights, and the return of historical lands. The Mapuche conflict intensified following the return of democracy in the 1990s, with Mapuche activists seeking to rectify the loss of ancestral territory during the Occupation of the Araucanía and the Conquest of the Desert.

The Mapuche lack a central organization and individuals and communities carry out their struggle independently and by different means. Some groups, such as the Coordinadora Arauco-Malleco (CAM), have used violent tactics since 1998, while other groups have preferred non-violent tactics and institutional negotiations.