Colombian indigenous guards oppose government surveillance plan

Hundreds of indigenous guards gathered in the mountains of Cauca, Colombia, to debate a central government initiative that they claim threatens their autonomy. The group, which operates without firearms to defend ancestral territories against guerrillas and drug traffickers, views a proposed government information system as a tool for state control.

The plan aims to collect data on guard members, including their identities and locations of intervention. The Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC) warned that this system could become a mechanism for “surveillance, stigmatization, and judicialization” in a country that has faced armed conflict for over fifty years.

The indigenous guards have a history of significant local impact, including the recent high-profile rescue of four children lost in the jungle for forty days. They also play a critical role in locating kidnapped individuals, tracking child soldiers, and preventing illegal deforestation in areas where state presence is minimal.