Compulsory Relocation: Survivingthrough the Loss and Theft of Native Territories
In a typical day, life carries on in the Indigenous communities of Wiwinak and Sagnilaya. Women gather in community centers, preparing meals for local events, while children attend school nearby. But the normalcy is alluded to, as fear looms over the communities due to the encroaching threats of land-invading settlers.
The Miskitu community in Sagnilaya, situated on the Wawa River, faces the same uncertainty. Felix Lavonte Centeno reminisces about the life they once led, as the settlers continue to erode their land and habitat. Armed settlers have made it impossible for community members to cross the river to work or collect crops.
Apolinar Teylor, a native of Sagnilaya, refuses to abandon his land. He has faced settler aggression, experiencing the loss of his shack in 2020. Yet, he remains determined to fight for the land titling process to protect their cultivated lands.
Tragically, stories like these are all too common in the communities along the Coco River. Violence against Indigenous communities persists, with instances such as the attack on the community of Alal in 2020, resulting in the murder of six forest rangers.
In 2021, another massacre occurred in the Kiwakumbaih Hill, with nine Indigenous individuals losing their lives. The settler gang led by Isabel Meneses Padilla, known as "Chabelo," was allegedly responsible for the attack. However, the Nicaraguan justice system wrongfully sentenced four Mayangna individuals to life imprisonment for the killings.
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) intervened, granting provisional measures for the imprisoned individuals' release and requesting that the Ortega regime protect their lives, personal integrity, and freedom.
A new tragedy unfolded in March 2022, when settlers violently stormed the community of Wilú, killing five community members, injuring two, and destroying 16 homes and a church. The incident forced the displacement of approximately 70 families to nearby communities for protection.
The forced displacement and loss of land has become a recurring issue in affected communities such as Francia Sirpi, Santa Clara, La Esperanza, Río Wawa, and Wisconsi and in the Mayangna Sauni As Territory, particularly in Musawás, Wilú, Alal, and Betlehem.
When forced migration is not an option, it becomes the norm in these communities. With fear and the need for food and safety as the driving factors, families often relocate to nearby communities or the cities, notably Waspam and Puerto Cabezas.
The Indigenous populations struggle to adapt to city life and steady employment, leading some to resort to illegal activities such as prostitution, sexual abuse, and early pregnancies. Unfortunately, no solution is yet in sight, as the Ortega regime continues to promote development plans that disregard Indigenous livelihoods and ways of life.
- The environmental science community is raising concerns about the impact of climate change on the displacement of Indigenous communities like those in Wiwinak and Sagnilaya, as their lands are increasingly threatened by settlers.
- As the political landscape in Nicaragua remains unchanged, general news outlets are closely monitoring ongoing conflicts between settlers and Indigenous communities, particularly in regions such as the Coco River and environmental-science experts are advocating for the implementation of policies that respect Indigenous land rights and promote peaceful coexistence.
