Indigenous women march 2,000 km to Argentine Congress to defend water and land

Indigenous women from the Mapuche and Kolla communities have completed a nearly 2,000-kilometer march from Rinconada, Jujuy, to the National Congress in Buenos Aires. Known as the Caminata de Warmis, the journey began on August 3 to defend ancestral territories, water resources, and the environment against perceived threats from mining and government policies.

The protesters are demanding action regarding the protection of the Laguna de Pozuelos, a natural monument and biosphere reserve, which they claim is suffering from water contamination due to mining activities at sites such as Pan de Azúcar, Pirquitas, and Chinchillas. The marchers are also protesting against the Regime of Incentives for Large Investments (RIGI) and other legislative projects they argue promote predatory extractivism.

Upon arriving in Buenos Aires, the women marched through the Once neighborhood toward Congress to deliver a formal petition to the President and lawmakers. The movement seeks to address what they describe as a humanitarian crisis affecting indigenous peoples resulting from territorial dispossession and environmental degradation.