The Peasant Guard of Catatumbo emerged during the 2013 agrarian strike in response to the need for a group that would defend the territory and human rights in the region. The group faced threats from armed actors through dialogue and peaceful conflict resolution methods.
Problems and Purpose
The Peasant Guard of Catatumbo (Span. Guardia Campesina del Catatumbo) is a regional peasant security collective whose purpose is to defend the territory and the human rights of those who live there. The initiative arose as an organ of the Catatumbo Peasant Association during the context of the National Agrarian Strike of 2013, and was formalized in the regional constitution of Catatumbo in 2014. It was born out of the need for a peasant security corps to maintain peace in the communities of the region. It confronts threats from armed actors only through dialogue and peaceful conflict resolution. The Peasant Guard of Catatumbo takes as its model the organization, methods, and struggles of the Indigenous Guard in Cauca.