The Cimarrona Guard of Northern Cauca is a community self-protection initiative that seeks to protect the territory autonomously from threats posed by foreign interests. The idea was born from the First National Congress of the Black People in 2013.
Problems and Purpose
The Cimarrona Guard of Northern Cauca (Span. Guardia Cimarrona del Norte del Cauca) is a community self-protection initiative that seeks to protect the territory autonomously from threats posed by foreign interests. The idea was born from the First National Congress of the Black, Afro-Colombian, Raizal and Palenquero People, which took place in 2013 in Quibdó, Chocó, inspired by the struggles of the Cimarrona Guard of San Basilio de Palenque.
The Cimarrona Guard of Northern Cauca is a departmental process organized in the various Community Councils of the region, with the support of the Process for Black Communities (Span. Proceso de Comunidades Negras) and the Community Council Association of Northern Cauca (Span. Asociación de Consejos Comunitarios del Norte del Cauca). The members of the Guard face the constant challenge of interacting with different types of armed actors, particularly those involved in illegal mining, through dialogue and peaceful conflict resolution.