12 years of struggle - COCOMOPOCA

COCOMOPOCA members await the landmark handover with much excitement (Photo: SCIAF)

SCIAF has welcomed an important victory for the Afro-Colombian community in Colombia’s Pacific North West Region.

Following a 12 year struggle, COCOMOPOCA has been granted legal rights to the ancestral land they have occupied for over 150 years.

Some 2,250 Afro-Colombian families live in 73,000 hectares of land in the riverside communities in the municipalities of Lloró, Bagadó, Certegui and Yuto, near the city of Quibdó, in the Chocó department of Colombia. The community was presented with deeds to their land on the 17th September by the Colombian Government’s Institute for Rural Development.

The handover marked the end of a twelve-year legal battle, following the recognition of the Afro-Colombian community as a distinct ethnic group entitled to certain legal rights by the Colombian government in 1993.

The historic moment when the title deeds were handed over (Photo: SCIAF)

The communities are represented by local organisation COCOMOPOCA, which has received continual support from the Catholic Diocese of Quibdó throughout the process. SCIAF has been supporting the work of COCOMOPOCA for the last four years, and in welcoming the development has also called for full engagement by the community on the future development of the land.

The official recognition for the land rights of the Afro-Colombian community in Chocó has been welcomed by many supporters and lauded as a historic moment:

Nicolaza Campana Machado, COCOMOPOCA’s former legal representative said:

“It is a joyous feeling to know that, hand in hand, the communities, the diocese of Quibdó, the International Community and a number of institutions have turned this shared dream into a reality”.

SCIAF’s Programme Officer for Latin America, Mark Camburn, said:

“This is an historic moment for the Afro-Colombian community in Colombia’s Pacific Northwest region, and we are proud of the role SCIAF has been able to play in supporting our partners

“In many ways, the real challenge begins now. It’s one thing to have legal titles to your territory, and another to be able to sustainably administer it and for the population to enjoy the fulfilment of their rights within the territory. SCIAF will continue to work with COCOMOPOCA to ensure the community get the full benefits from the territory and its natural resources”

What do you think of this fantastic news?

SCIAF

Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund

12 years of struggle - COCOMOPOCA