As part of the Resource Hub Project that Equitable Origin and COICA have been working on, we are launching a variety of tools related to supporting indigenous rights, including cultural rights. In this way, we hope to generate information and knowledge on relevant topics. In partnership with COICA, we will formally launch this interactive platform soon!
Three Indigenous People of the Kukama nationality were shot and killed by police in the Oil Lot No. 95, located in the town of Brittany, in the district of Puinahua, Requena Province of the Loreto region of Peru on August 9th 2020. The tragedy occured in the Brittany North Oil Field owned by Petrotal Peru SRL (formerly Gran Tierra Energy Peru SRL).
Lot 95 has an approximate production projection of 16,500 barrels of crude oil per day and is equivalent to more than 40% of the oil production in Peru. This year, the company Petrotal Peru S.R.L. is expected to invest US $99 million, estimating that by 2020 it will reach a production of 20,000 barrels per day in the Brittany North Oil Field. According to data from the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Peru, in 2019, the Regional Government of Loreto received 55,953,482 soles (USD$ 15,817,850.00) per canon and oil over-canon, and the municipality of the province where the unfortunate events occurred obtained 1,252,662 soles.
For several years, the indigenous population of Brittany have been requesting compensation for oil exploitation and an effective agenda for immediate projects. They have requested economic support to carry out social projects for food security, water, sanitation and electricity and basic services. To this day, the Peruvian Government has not been able to fulfill this request. The economic support could help with much needed medical help and medicines for the areas affected by COVID-19.
Lizardo Cauper – President of AIDESEP, stated that “Government attempts such as the Gap Closure Plan for Amazonian communities for the execution of budgets and projects that it was going to implement with mayors of oil districts and indigenous leaders have not had the delivery or immediacy we expected. Even more so with the complication due to COVID-19. The indigenous populations are tired of the fact that extractives companies do not benefit communities and that the economic development of the use of natural resources has consequences such as pollution, deforestation, poverty and other impacts. This also comes from the inability to have an actor such as the Government to establish sincere and effective channels of dialogue, guaranteeing our rights where the population understands each other with reasons and actions rather than with the use of force and bullets. «
Three Indigenous People of the Kukama nationality were shot and killed by police in the Oil Lot No. 95, located in the town of Brittany, in the district of Puinahua, Requena Province of the Loreto region of Peru. The tragedy occured in the Brittany North Oil Field owned by Petrotal Peru SRL (formerly Gran Tierra Energy Peru SRL).
Lot 95 has an approximate production projection of 16,500 barrels of crude oil per day and is equivalent to more than 40% of the oil production in Peru. This year, the company Petrotal Peru S.R.L. is expected to invest US $99 million, estimating that by 2020 it will reach a production of 20,000 barrels per day in the Brittany North Oil Field. According to data from the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Peru, in 2019, the Regional Government of Loreto received 55,953,482 soles per canon and oil over-canon, and the municipality of the province where the unfortunate events occurred obtained 1,252,662 soles.
For several years, the indigenous population of Brittany have been requesting compensation for oil exploitation and an effective agenda for immediate projects. They have requested economic support to carry out social projects for food security, water, sanitation and electricity and basic services. To this day, the Peruvian Government has not been able to fulfill this request. The economic support could help with much needed medical help and medicines for the areas affected by COVID-19.
Lizardo Cauper – President of AIDESEP, stated that “Government attempts such as the Gap Closure Plan for Amazonian communities for the execution of budgets and projects that it was going to implement with mayors of oil districts and indigenous leaders have not had the delivery or immediacy we expected. Even more so with the complication due to COVID-19. The indigenous populations are tired of the fact that extractives companies do not benefit communities and that the economic development of the use of natural resources has consequences such as pollution, deforestation, poverty and other impacts. This also comes from the inability to have an actor such as the Government to establish sincere and effective channels of dialogue, guaranteeing our rights where the population understands each other with reasons and actions rather than with the use of force and bullets. «
After the tragic death of the three Indigenous People in Brittany, it will be important to develop intercultural dialogue from the processes and actions of the Government in order to make inclusive and respectful agreements and decisions of cultural diversity. Where dialogue, respect, coexistence, intercultural learning are mutual, and the elimination of structural causes for development is valued.