ConflictBarometer_2015

THE AMERICAS
CHILE (MAPUCHE / ARAUCANÍA)
Intensity: 3 | Change: | Start: 2008
Conflict parties:
Conflict items:
Mapuche vs. government
autonomy, resources
The violent conflict over autonomy and resources in the La
Araucanía region between members and organizations of
the indigenous Mapuche, on the one hand, and the government
of President Michelle Bachelet, on the other, continued.
Among the main demands of the Mapuche were the devolution
of ancestral land and the decrease of police presence
in their communities. Throughout the year, La Araucanía and
adjacent regions were affected by hundreds of incendiaries,
occupations, and road blockades. In reaction to the violence,
the government strengthened police presence in the region,
but stated that not all violent actions could be credited to
Mapuche.
One such occupation took place on April 20, when about 80
Mapuche entered an estate near Temuco, La Araucanía, torching
a trailer with hay bales. In ensuing confrontations with
police special forces, the so-called Carabineros, Mapuche
hurled stones while the police responded with tear gas. Another
land occupation in Traiguén, La Araucanía, ended after
one month on November 12 with clashes between Mapuche
and Carabineros, leaving eight persons injured. Eleven occupiers
were detained. In Temuco, 30 Mapuche students
occupied educational buildings on July 2 to protest against
a proposed educational reform that they criticized for not
reflecting their values and beliefs.
On August 17, about 100 Mapuche occupied the head office
of the National Indigenous Development Corporation
(Conadi) in Temuco, demanding quicker land redistributions
and denouncing harassment by Carabineros within their communities.
Three days later, nearly 200 Mapuche supporters
demonstrated in Temuco. On September 7, Carabineros
cleared the building wherein 33 Mapuche still remained.
They used tear gas and detained 31 Mapuche, several of
which were injured.
Several other demonstrations took place. For instance, on
October 12, 5,000 to 15,000 people marched in the capital
Santiago in support of the Mapuche's demands. Hooded
individuals tried to enter the presidential palace and threw
stones and Molotov cocktails at the police, causing minor
material damage.
The government's approach in the conflict was increasingly
criticized. On January 10, the Mapuche advisor for the Conadi,
Ana Llao, accused the government of distributing lands to violent
instead of moderate Mapuche groups. To protest against
the growing insecurity in the region, truck drivers marched in
late August from Temuco to Santiago. In response, Bachelet
dismissed the governor of La Araucanía, Mapuche Francisco
Huenchumilla, on August 25. On December 29, Bachelet paid
La Araucanía the first visit during her presidential term. In
Temuco, she united with representatives of the Association
of Victims of Rural Violence, among them relatives of the
Luchsinger-McKay landowner couple killed in a 2013 arson
attack attributed to a Mapuche. Furthermore, she met with
Mapuche farmers in Cholchol and announced the establishment
of a working group on the region. Mapuche criticized
Bachelet for the visit's secretive nature and for not meeting
with Mapuche victims of the conflict. cgu
CHILE (SOCIAL MOVEMENTS)
Intensity: 3 | Change: | Start: 2006
Conflict parties:
Conflict items:
ACES, CONES, CONFECH vs. government
system/ideology
The violent crisis over system and ideology between social
movement organizations such as the Confederation of
Chilean Students (CONFECH), on the one hand, and the government,
on the other, continued. The implementation of
education system reforms was among the main demands of
these groups.
On January 26, President Michelle Bachelet's education reform
initiative was passed in the National Congress. After
years of massive student protests, the government passed
legislation to ensure equal, non-selective access to stateowned
and state-subsidized schools, as well as free university
education. Despite these efforts, a demonstration
with 20,000 to 150,000 people organized by CONFECH took
place in the capital Santiago on April 16. It remained largely
peaceful, however the police used tear gas and water cannon
to disperse protesters who were throwing objects. Seven
were injured and 134 arrested. Two students were killed on
May 14 in Valparaíso shortly after taking part in one of several
multi-city demonstrations organized by CONFECH with
between 50,000 to 150,000 participants in Santiago alone.
Reportedly, the students were killed by a civilian after having
sprayed graffiti on the wall of a residential building during
clashes between 100 to 200 hooded protesters and the police.
The event spurred further protests. On May 21, while
Bachelet was delivering a state of the nation address in the
National Congress in Valparaíso, about 6,000 protesters gathered
in front of the building demanding educational reforms.
In violent clashes between masked protesters and the police,
20 people were injured and 37 arrested. The protesters used
stones while the police responded with tear gas and water
cannon.
On June 10, one day before the beginning of the football
championship Copa América, thousands of students organized
by Teachers College Santiago, the Coordinated Assembly
of Secondary Students (ACES), and the National Coordinator
of Secondary Students (CONES) protested in Santiago
presenting a document which outlined their demands for a
coherent higher university education and pointing out the
lack of consultation by the government over the proposed
education reform. The protest turned violent and riot police
fired tear gas and water cannon against masked protesters.
Following a massive demonstration with around 300,000
teachers and students nationwide and around 100,000 in
Santiago on June 17, Bachelet appointed former Minister for
Natural Resources Adriana Delpiano as new education minister
on June 27. On June 30, Delpiano rejected any plans for
a meeting with the teachers' and students' associations and
demanded a stop to their protest actions.
On December 10, the Constitutional Tribunal ruled against
Bachelet's education reform and her proposed mechanism
that would have determined which education institution
should provide free university education using state funds. A
total of 260,000 of the poorest students would have benefitted
from this reform in 2016. CONFECH had already criticized
this mechanism as non-transparent on October 1 and further
stated their plans to uphold countrywide demonstrations and
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