Event: CSUTCB internal fight

  • At the ninth National Campesino Congress convened by the Unified Syndical Confederation of Rural Workers of Bolivia (CSUTCB) in Oruro, Bolivia, a confrontation between two factions of the organization left one dead, a man named Francisco Miranda Cuela, and several others injured. Sparring peasant workers’ rights groups had marched from the Colosseum into the streets, where the groups began throwing rocks and beating one another up. The named victim, Francisco Miranda Cuela, died in the general hospital of Oruro from hypovolemic shock, internal bleeding, and head trauma. Miranda was the director of the Federación de Cochabamba [Federation of Cochabamba], a regional component of the CSUTCB.

Event: Potosí/Oruro Boundary Dispute

  • A roadblock on the passageway that connects the municipality of Huanuni to the district of Oruro became the scene of initiated[1] a violent conflict between two Bolivian ayllus clans [2], the Chullpa from Potosí and the Tayaquira from Oruro. The two parties have an ongoing dispute over boundary lines, which coincide with the boundaries of Potosí and Oruro departments. Clan members on both sides threw rocks at one another and as the violence escalated, Chullpa began looting and setting fire to Tayaquira houses. Police forces arrived on the scene to help settle the dispute, which resulted in two officers being killed in the increasingly escalated conflict. In addition to the officers, a campesino was killed in the clash. Damages were suffered on both sides, despite much of the looting and burning being inflicted on the Tayaquira. Following the conflict, Potosí and Oruro leaders formed a commission to evaluate respective damages and victims on both sides, and cooperate to find solutions.

Comments… These are really clear write-ups. I've copyedited the first narrative and offer these notes on the second:

  1. Always risky to say that the conflict began when it turned violent.
  2. [the term is notoriously difficult to translate]
  3. Re "two officers being killed": We have a case where there are deaths reported early that drop out of other narratives, even though the police continue to be a source. We can talk about how to handle what looks to me like unconfirmed deaths.
  4. Further sources are available on this incident and may improve this short narrative.—Comments from User:Carwil


UPDATED WORK ON POTOSI/ORURO BOUNDARY DISPUTE

Event: Potosí/Oruro Boundary Dispute

Brief intro:

A roadblock on the passageway that connects the municipality of Huanuni to the district of Oruro became the scene of a violent conflict between two Bolivian ayllus, the Chullpa from Potosí and the Tayaquira from Oruro. The two parties have an ongoing dispute over boundary lines, which coincide with the boundaries of Potosí and Oruro departments. Ayllu members on both sides threw rocks at one another and as the violence escalated, Chullpa residents began looting and setting fire to Tayaquira houses. Police forces arrived on the scene to help settle the dispute, but their arrival resulted in an escalation of the fighting. Damages and injuries were suffered on both sides, despite much of the looting and burning being inflicted on the Tayaquira. Initial reports referenced two unnamed police deaths that occurred during the conflict, neither of which were confirmed. However, a third death was confirmed, the death of Tayaquira campesino Juan Choque. He died on April 24, 2002 at age 50.


Aftermath:

After the deadly clash on the 24th, the conflict continued in the area along the border of the two ayllus. The Chullpas kidnapped a woman named Rufina Guarayo as she was tending to her sheep and llamas in a field near the border.[when?] Her kidnapping was just one of the violent fallouts after the primary conflict, and in a report to La Patria, one of the ayllu leaders established that they were in “a state of emergency” in the days following the violent boundary dispute.

Local leaders like Francisco Mamani, the Jiriri Mallku of the Pantaleón Dalence province, say that the intentions behind these conflicts is rooted in the severe poverty of the region. Border disputes are often related to territorial control and access to resources. In the conflict on April 24th, Chullpas took control of territory that had previously belonged to the Tayaquira, using tractors to destroy property and structures. In an article from La Patria on April 30, after the damages of the border conflict had been assessed, there were approximately 39 Tayaquira houses that had been burned, as well as a significant amount of property that had been stolen. This included the more than 300 llamas that were stolen and taken to the Potosino side.

Police forces arrived on the scene of the clash to help settle the dispute, but their presence resulted in further escalation in the fighting. Fighting among the ayllu members consisted of rock throwing that was met with gunfire from police forces. The state involvement has a murky delineation–unconfirmed police deaths, a lack of initial involvement, and the escalation of the conflict after their arrival makes their role in the dispute a complex one. (come back to this)

Following the conflict, Potosí and Oruro leaders including the Vice Minister of Human Development, the representatives from the communities, and the Minister of Asuntos Campesinos formed a commission to evaluate respective damages and victims on both sides, and cooperate to find solutions. A military contingent was deployed to safeguard the boundary land and to reduce the likelihood of more confrontations between neighboring groups. The contingent is also responsible for mediating conflict regarding inter-departmental boundaries and supporting territorial delineation negotiations. The decision to send military enforcement was supported by both sides of the conflict in their commission meeting. No additional state repression occurred following the conflict aside from the deployment of the military contingent.

add map, go back and review other draft notes

Comments… edit

This is a very clear and effective write up. What it needs most are lots of citations connecting each fact to a source. Also, can we get some clarity on any losses suffered by the Chullpa community during this confrontation?

There are some earlier (March–early April 2002) events in this conflict, see p. 283 (p. 266 of PDF) of: https://www.defensoria.gob.bo/uploads/files/v-informe-al-congreso-nacional.pdf

A possible additional source is here: https://www.bivica.org/files/gestion-conflictos-guia.pdf which gives a nice breakdown of parties involved in the conflict.

If this is to become an article, consider incorporating Template:Infobox_civil_conflict and filling in as much as is relevant.-Carwil (talk) 21:37, 9 April 2022 (UTC)