Caribbean & Central America - April 2024

In March Guatemala’s new President Bernardo Arévalo inked a development agreement with authorities from three indigenous Ixil Mayan municipalities in Quiché department. The communities were a key target of genocide perpetuated by state forces during the 1960-1996 civil war, in which some 250,000 civilians were killed or disappeared, some 80% of which were indigenous. Arévalo hailed the new accord as “historic” and a sign of his government’s commitment to the long marginalised indigenous sector which, at some 44% of the population, is the biggest in Central America. Having no doubt identified a prospective government led by anti-corruption outsider Arévalo as its best prospect for addressing the rampant inequality which it faces, the indigenous sector played a key role in the huge protests against efforts by the corrupt establishment aimed at reversing his electoral victory [SSR-24-01]. The new government, which took office in January, is now under pressure to address the sector’s demands.

The agreement was signed on 13 March by President Arévalo and representatives from the Mayan-Ixil communities of San Juan Cotzal, Santa Maria Nebaj, and San Gaspar Chajul. It commits the government to recognising and promoting the legitimacy of local ancestral authorities, as well as collaborating to address short and long-term issues afflicting indigenous communities in the department which, comprising 21 municipalities and some 1.62m inhabitants, is one of the most neglected in the country. Priority will be given to governance, education, public health, migration, nutrition, climate change, employment, and poverty.

The agreement regarding the so-called Ixil Triangle follows government efforts to address demands of the wider indigenous sector which includes other Mayan groups as well as the Garifuna, Xinka and Creole or Afro-descendant peoples. On 25 February, the national day of dignity for victims of the civil war, the government announced a national plan for the dignification of war victims. Vice President Karin Herrera outlined as its main purposes, reclaiming the memory of the victims, and strengthening the work to recover the archives of the extinct Programa Nacional de Resarcimiento (National Reparations Programme), closed down under the previous government led by former president Alejandro Giammattei (2020-2024). Indeed, a December 2021 report by US-based rights lobby group Washington Office on Latin America (Wola) described as “unprecedented” the dismantling of peace institutions under the first two years of Giammattei’s administration [SSR-22-02]. Also under Giammattei, efforts to redress past impunity regarding civil war crimes suffered a major setback with high-profile independent judges such as Miguel Ángel Gálvez, known for their efforts in this sphere, forced into exile [SSR-23-01].

Areas of improvement

While these gestures by the government to the indigenous sector have been well received, President Arévalo has faced complaints over the lack of inclusion in his new 14-member ministerial cabinet which includes just one indigenous member, Miriam Roquel (labour). He himself recognised in response to this that “we have not reached the pluriculturalism we would have wanted”.

OHCHR report

A report published on 26 February by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Guatemala highlights the parlous human rights situation for indigenous peoples in Guatemala. The report cites official statistics which show that the percentage of households experiencing deprivation in relation to housing, education, and employment is 82.3% for the Maya people and 86.1% for the Xinka people, while the country-wide average is only 63.2%. It also highlights the prevalence of agrarian conflicts, a major issue facing indigenous groups whose rights to ancestral land have long been violated, with 75 recorded incidences in 2023. Five forced evictions were documented, affecting 503 mainly indigenous families and representing a 101% increase compared with 2022. These forced evictions take place outside the standard of international human rights law according to the OHCHR.