Weekly Report - 6 January 2004

The tenth anniversary of the Zapatista uprising, despite the congratulatory celebrations in Chiapas, was not occasion for much optimism, either on the part of the `autonomous' Zapatista municipalities or on that of local observers sympathetic to the indigenous cause but not necessarily pro-Zapatista. The former see a growing threat from paramilitary gangs led by local political bosses; the latter, the prospect of escalating conflict between Zapatista and non-Zapatista indigenous communities.