Gustavo Petro convoca a los pueblos indígenas a la firma del nuevo decreto de la Línea Negra en Santa Marta

President Gustavo Petro called upon indigenous communities to gather at the beaches of Santa Marta for the signing of a new decree that reinstates the protection of the Línea Negra, following the annulment of the previous legal framework by the Council of State.

The Council of State annulled Decree 1500 of 2018, affecting the delimitation and protection of sacred territories for the Arhuaco, Kogui, Wiwa, and Kankuamo peoples in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. This news raised concerns across various sectors, particularly after former President Juan Manuel Santos warned about the risks this decision posed to the integrity of indigenous communities.

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Gustavo Petro, the current head of state, responded through his official account on the social network X, where he announced the signing of a new decree to ensure the continued protection of these ancestral territories. “I have called for the unity of the indigenous peoples of the heart of the world. I expect you all massively on the beaches of Santa Marta to sign the new decree of the Línea Negra, which will expand the sacred territory of the caretakers of water,” stated the president.

The president emphasized that the process to define the new boundary of the Línea Negra will involve a prior consultation with the relevant indigenous communities. According to Petro’s publication, the consultation will take place in the form of an assembly, where the communities will collectively decide whether to expand the sacred territory. “The prior consultation is the assembly of the indigenous communities deciding if the sacred territory will be expanded,” the president explained.

This calling aims for a collective decision regarding the extension of the boundaries, reaffirming the autonomy principle of ancestral peoples in making decisions about their living and spiritual spaces.

The Línea Negra signifies a legal and symbolic recognition of spaces deemed sacred by the indigenous communities of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The annulled decree established a boundary that protected vital areas such as mountains and water sources, central elements in the cosmology and culture of the Arhuaco, Kogui, Wiwa, and Kankuamo peoples.

The president stressed that farmers in the area must understand the value of these territories and the role of indigenous people as protectors of water and ecosystems. “The farmers of the Sierra Nevada can appreciate our friendship and the cession of lands in the haciendas of the paracos outside the Línea Negra. What is sacred is sacred, and water is sacred,” emphasized Petro.

In his message, Gustavo Petro called for the unity of indigenous peoples to defend their territories against any threat. He also rejected the presence of armed actors and external forces that could undermine autonomy and peace in the region. “In the heart of the world, there must be united indigenous strength, not paracos or complicit police,” stated the president.

The president also proposed the establishment of an Indigenous Territorial Entity (ETI) in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, as part of a vision for autonomy and self-governance for the communities in the region.

The signing event for the new decree will take place at the beaches of Santa Marta, a symbolic location known for being a site of indigenous resistance for centuries. Petro invited the communities to participate in the assembly, known as kurunkúa, where the final decision regarding the extension of the Línea Negra and the recognition of sacred territory will be made.

The president concluded his message by calling for respect for diversity and freedom in the region: “If the heart of the world unites, humanity unites. May the Sierra Nevada breathe freedom.”