RFK Center Calls on Mexico to Help Indigenous Communities Decimated by Storms Meaghan Baron - RFK Center
go to original October 6, 2013

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a letter to the Mexican Minister of Social Development, Maria del Rosario Robles Berlanga (PDF), the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights (RFK Center) calls on the Government of Mexico to increase the responsiveness in providing emergency aid to remote communities severely impacted by tropical storms Ingrid and Manuel. The letter, signed by RFK President Kerry Kennedy, expresses condolences to the Mexican government and its people, and urges for outreach to the mainly indigenous Mexican communities that have been hardest hit, calling for transparency and open consultation with the residents who have so far been largely forced to handle the disaster situation without government support.

"The Montaña region of Mexico is a place close to my heart, and home to the RFK Center's human rights partners who have been working for years to promote justice for the people living in these villages. The devastation delivered by these storms has displaced whole communities, some of whom were still in the process of rebuilding their homes after being forced off their land by extractive industries. We cannot allow this tragedy to go unnoticed or the calls for help to go unheeded. We must get aid to the thousands of people in desperate needs throughout La Montaña," said Kerry Kennedy, President of the RFK Center.

In the wake of the disastrous storms that hit Mexico in mid-September, communities that were already vulnerable to exploitation and poverty now remain in extremely dire situations. The southwest of the county has been hit the hardest: 101 of the 157 people reported dead were from Guerrero. The extent of the devastation and the number of deaths caused by storms is still unquantifiable amid more isolated locations, such as the remote municipalities of Acatepec, Metlatónoc, and Cochoapa.

Basic needs such as the rights to food and adequate housing are urgently needed for the disaster survivors. Flooding and landslides have damaged hundreds of homes and have caused thousands of people in the rural, mountainous region of Guerrero to seek refuge in camps and shoddy structures, where they are at continued risk due to the possibility of residual landslides. Adding to the severity of the situation, damaged roads have limited the supply of emergency aid - cutting off the distribution of drinking water and electricity - and prices have nearly doubled for food staples such as corn. The Mexican government reports that close to 13,000 residents have sought refuge in shelters and that over a dozen bridges have been destroyed.

The issues of food scarcity and inadequate housing are particularly concerning in the historically marginalized and hardest hit communities of Guerrero. At least 48 communities in Guerrero remain inaccessible by air and or by land, and would only be reachable by helicopter access. So far, air distribution efforts have been scarce and communities have been left uninformed of how helicopter routes are prioritized.

The Mexican government’s distribution of emergency supplies such as food and medicine to these and other areas has been slow and inadequate. In the face of neglect and lack of information during this urgent humanitarian crisis, communities have taken urgent recovery efforts into their own hands. In Acatepec and other communities, residents have opened distribution centers and set up incident command structures. Residents formed an assembly of representatives from 47 affected communities to document the damage, set priorities for the provision of urgent supplies, voice the communities’ concerns and demands to the government, and establish joint community actions and engagement with federal authorities.

On September 26, the Federal Human Rights Commission donated close to 20 tons of crucial aid supplies to the affected communities in Guerrero, but more need remains. It is imperative that the government urgently restore infrastructure to ensure access to adequate, safe housing, and to provide a mechanism to distribute food (such as corn, beans, and salt), medicine, and other aid supplies.

Most importantly, authorities must not exclude indigenous peoples in the planning and recovery initiatives in order to ensure a culturally and ethnically appropriate comprehensive strategy for resettlement of displaced indigenous populations. Officials from all levels of government should openly consult with indigenous leaders and civil society members to guarantee that urgent emergency aid is not delayed.

In addition to these critical immediate steps, authorities must address a strategy for the coming months to prevent a famine. Thousands of hectares of farmland for crops, such as corn, banana, and coffee trees, have been destroyed. The loss of corn, a subsistence crop, will likely mean that communities will face a serious shortage of food in the near future.

The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights (RFK Center - www.rfkcenter.org) was founded in 1968 by Robert Kennedy's family and friends as a living memorial to carry forward his vision of a more just and peaceful world. RFK Partners for Human Rights engages in strategic long-term partnerships with RFK Human Rights Award Laureates, augmenting the effectiveness of grassroots leaders to support sustainable social justice movements.

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