A Displaced Ñuu Savi Community Demands Justice and Security to Return Home

Virtually 3 years after having to flee their region, a team of even more than 20 Mixtec family members remains in a shelter in the city of Tlaxiaco, Mexico, in perilous conditions, without enough area to live, necessary solutions, clinical care, and, above all, without justice or hope of being able to return home. The result was 2 individuals dead, 5 missing out on, and even more than 150 houses melted in 3 various communities: Ndoyonoyuji, Mier y Terán, and Guerrero Grande.

Practically 3 years after needing to leave their region, a team of more than 20 Mixtec family members remains in a sanctuary in the city of Tlaxiaco, Mexico, in precarious conditions, without adequate space to live, vital services, healthcare, and, above all, without justice or hope of having the ability to return home. These are the family members displaced by violence in the town of Atatlahuca, in the Ñuu Savi (Mixteca) region, which has actually been suffering as a result of a problem over its forest and area considering that 2021. In May 2024, Cultural Survival spoke with some of the displaced individuals to learn more about their tales in their own words.

In October 2021, an armed group had shut the roads of Ndoyonoyuji, one of the neighborhoods in the district of Atatlahuca. We invested the night in the forest, listening to them damaging doors and burning homes. The result was 2 people dead, 5 missing out on, and more than 150 residences melted in 3 different areas: Ndoyonoyuji, Mier y Terán, and Guerrero Grande.

They need to recover their land and reconstruct their residences, yet they think justice for the murders, loss, and burning of houses is a concern.

The effects of this problem have been very hard for those that stay in the sanctuary, from children, youths, adults, and the elderly. They are far from the way of living they had in their neighborhoods. “We had our story of land, residences, and pets. We shed whatever in this problem. Our youngsters had ended up being familiar with going to the hills, there was no risk due to the fact that every person understood each various other. We sowed the land, we had food, we had water, and from there, we might feed ourselves. Here, we need to purchase every little thing, even fire wood and water,” claims a local.

Like other problems in the Mixteca, it began over a land dispute between the 3 influenced neighborhoods and the community, with hefty participation of economic rate of interests in the forest: logging for timber and the sale of a mushroom that grows in this region and is highly sought after outside the nation. The community blames the interference on a local political organization that, together with neighborhood actors, the neighborhood says has split them.

At the beginning there were greater than 300 individuals in the sanctuary. They state that most of the residents of Guerrero Grande were able to return to their community. Those from Mier y Terán have actually remained united, which is why they were able to return too. The majority of those presently in the sanctuary are from Ndoyonoyuji. Others had to emigrate to the cities to sustain themselves and feel more secure. There is also one more displaced group in the local resources of Atatlahuca.

The only point the displaced request for now is justice so they can return to their homes. They need to recuperate their land and restore their residences, yet they believe justice for the murders, disappearances, and burning of homes is a priority. They share that although the Oaxaca federal government has informed them they can now return, they are not assured safety and security. “We do not really feel safe. For that, we require justice and repair for the damages, a dialogue, and a signed arrangement.”

Like other problems in the Mixteca, it began again a land conflict in between the three affected areas and the municipality, with hefty participation of economic interests in the woodland: logging for wood and the sale of a mushroom that grows in this territory and is highly sought after outside the nation. According to those talked to, there are presently at least six sawmills in the district. The neighborhood condemns the interference on a local political company that, together with regional actors, the area claims has actually divided them.

According to the community, “All the examination files are still in their initial phase, as in 2021, and nothing is recognized concerning the missing out on. At initially, they did not identify that there were dead and missing people, but in the burnt homes, they discovered bone remains of our buddies that were burned there. We additionally denounce that the Guerrero Grande and Mier y Teran communities have actually not obtained the federal assistance to which they are qualified considering that 2020.