Alert Issued: Violent Raid Operations and Detentions in Mapuche Settlements of Chubut, Argentina
A Fresh Take
On a chilly February day in 2025, violent storms descended upon several Mapuche Indigenous communities nestled within the Andean mountain range of Chubut Province, Argentina. The affected settlements included Lof Pillañ Mawiza, Lof Cañio, Lof Catriman Colihueque, Lof Nahuelpan, la Radio Comunitaria Mapuche Petü Mogeleiñ in El Maitén, and numerous personal residences.
Reports have been scarce regarding the state of Lof Pillañ Mahuiza, where the entire community, including the young and innocent, have been cut off from communication following the aggressive intrusion by the Comando Unificado, a newly formed federal police unit. Community member Victoria Dolores Fernández Núñez was apprehended and transported to Esquel for detainment.
These actions, sanctioned by the sentence enforcement judge in Esquel, Jorge Criado, and public prosecutor Carlos Cavallo, were orchestrated amidst the chaos of raging wildfires engulfing Patagonia. To date, these infernos have claimed over 300,000 hectares of land. State officials have exploited this calamity to incriminate the Mapuche people as the cause of the fires, despite the gallant efforts of Indigenous communities, like those of Linares in Neuquén, who have pursued controlling the flames with every resource at their disposal. Just a day prior to the raids, Chubut's governor Ignacio Torres branded Mapuche communities as "arsonists," laying the foundation for these violent incursions.
The Mapuche people find themselves caught in a vicious cycle of criminalization and repression by the national government, in collaboration with provincial authorities. This brutal treatment is part of a broader campaign to discredit the resistance and struggle of the Mapuche People through excessive force, including evictions, raids, and persecution. It's no coincidence that this hostility is taking root in regions of significant value to governments and private investors, coveting these territories for touristic and extractive ventures.
We call for an immediate halt to the raids and the unjust persecution of the Mapuche People, demanding the expeditious release of, and the dropping of charges against, Victoria Dolores Fernández Núñez who was unjustly apprehended during the raids.
Credit for the top photo: ANRed
Contextual Enrichment:
The Mapuche conflict originates from ancient disputes over ancestral lands and rights between the Mapuche people and the governments of Chile and Argentina. The conflict has escalated in recent years, with accusations of violence and terrorism against Mapuche groups. These accusations have been used by the Argentine government, under President Javier Milei, to justify labeling certain Mapuche organizations as "terrorist," leading to increased tensions and repression2.
In the wake of these events, the escalating tensions between the Mapuche people and the Argentine government, particularly in the context of 'politics' and 'general-news', have led to the controversial labeling of certain Mapuche organizations as 'terrorist' [2]. This 'crime-and-justice' issue continues to unfold as Victoria Dolores Fernández Núñez remains detained despite unjust apprehension during the raids.
