Residents of Chicapa de Castro blocked a local road in protest of the alleged dispossession of communal lands.
Residents of Chicapa de Castro, a municipal agency of Juchitán, Oaxaca, made good on their threat and blocked the road to San Dionisio del Mar to prevent the residents of that Ikoot community from passing. This protest is against the damage caused to their lands as a result of the agrarian conflict between the two communities.
The Zapotec community members of Chicapa de Castro traveled in trucks to the border with the neighboring municipality and, using shovels, picks, and crowbars, tore up the road to prevent vehicular traffic.
They asserted that the Ikoot indigenous people of San Dionisio del Mar are not complying with the signed agreements and are refusing to recognize the ruling of the Agrarian Unitary Tribunal, which favored the Juchitán residents in the possession of the 1,711 hectares under dispute.
“Since the community members and the general public of Chicapa de Castro reached an agreement, we decided to begin blocking the road and the access roads today (Wednesday) indefinitely, since the authorities have ignored us,” said José Zárate, a community member from Chicapa de Castro.
He asserted that this is an indefinite closure and called on government agencies to present the location of the disputed area and to be accompanied by security forces so they can erect their fences and mark the boundaries of their lands.
“Let them bring us public security so that we can carry out the demarcation and be able to establish boundaries and demand payment for the damages they have caused us on numerous occasions,” said the Zapotec community member.
This land dispute dates back to 2007, and it wasn’t until 2024 that the TUA issued a ruling in favor of the Chicapa de Castro community. However, the Ikoots have not accepted this ruling and continue to protest, arguing that these lands have historically belonged to them.
Source: heraldodemexico
