The strike in the Peruvian Amazon is continuing and getting grimmer every day. Not only at the strikers side, but also at the side of the government whose unwillingness to dialog is starting to show. The distance between Lima and the Amazon seems larger the ever and after more then a month of protest the solution seems far away. 

 Not only the indigenous population is radicalising also the measures taken by the government are more drastically. Last Saturday, 9th of May, the Peruvian government declared the seven provinces of the Amazon region in a state of emergency. This means that the constitutionally provisions on freedom and security of persons and the immunity of accommodation are temporarily suspended, besides this there is an assembly and movement ban. The indigenous population interprets this as a declaration of war.

 

The government explained that this regulation was issued to guaranty continued operation of multinational companies. Also, it provides the government with the possibility to use more force. This way, the government hopes to counter the threat of the Amazon population: they have said to take multinational companies - other than PetroPeru - and to block the economically most important connecting roads.

 

Sunday morning, 10th of May, a delegation of 350 indigenous Awajun and Wampis took the bridge Corral Quemado in the province of Jaén. After blocking this road - that connects the coast with the rainforest in the Northern part of the country - for eight hours, they were expelled by force. In the process, the military officers used rubber bullets and bombs with tear gas; because of this, about 20 Awajun en Wampis were wounded. Ten people were detained but they were released the following day. At least one person is still missing - Hernandez Wisum Jankug – and they now fear for his life.