Without agreement with the Government, indigenous minga marches to Bogotá

The meeting held by leaders of the indigenous minga and various officials of the National Government in the city of Cali, It ended with the indigenous people getting up from the table and announcing that this Wednesday they will march towards Bogotá.

“If the government is thinking that we are going to return to our homes, our authorities have stated that we are going to Bogotá, we have a government that is not governing the country, it is afraid to speak to Colombians”, said the senior advisor of the Indigenous Regional Council of Cauca, Cric, Hermes Pete.

Pete added that if President Iván Duque does not serve them in Bogotá, they would block the Pan-American highway.

After the meeting, the Interior Minister, Alicia Arango said: “It is clear for the National Government that this Minga is not vindictive, but rather a political minga, as the members of this Minga have expressed, and that is how it will handle the conversations that are held.”

Likewise, he insisted on establish work routes to address the political concerns of the minga, “find an effective way to move forward and resolve all the proposals and requests that the minga has expressed in the letter addressed to President Iván Duque Márquez. The above, to divide the issues by areas of the public sector or the State, according to the competition”.

Not finding an agreement in Cali, the indigenous minga could continue its way to the capital of the country. Given this tour, the National Government showed its concern about the contagion of Covid-19 that could be gestated in that journey that will pass through several municipalities that have a low impact of the coronavirus.

Minister Arango recalled that agglomerations are prohibited and recommends that dealers adhere to biosecurity and self-care standards.

“The National Government defends and protects the interests of all Colombians, for which we make a call not to harm the economic reactivation of microentrepreneurs, with blockades and de facto ways”, said the Minister of the Interior.

Hours before, The pact was signed between both parties for a ‘Minga Biosegura’, which consists of the monitoring of the Cali public health network and biosafety protocols are respected.

The indigenous people withdrew from the table

For their part, the leaders of the minga indicated that they do not see the will of the Government since they had requested a meeting with President Iván Duque.

In the next few hours the indigenous people indicated that they will give a press conference, in which they will announce the decision they are going to make after not reaching an agreement at this meeting.

However, the senator of the Mais party, Feliciano Valencia, through Twitter gave what would happen to the minga after staying a few days in the city of Cali, they would take their way to Bogotá.

“If Duque doesn’t come to the Minga, the Minga goes to Duque, period. It is said”wrote the indigenous senator.