Atlantic Coast Ecumenical Council concerned about crisis

Trinidad Vásquez, MANAGUA, Nicaragua, February 28, 2005

The recently created Ecumenical Council of the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua, made up of bishops Taxi Heathrow Airport and the superintendent of the Moravian, Catholic and Anglican Church expressed its concern about incidents on the border with Honduras.

Incidents revolve around the Misquito people, who reside on the border zone and seek to produce and harvest their crops on both sides of the border.

One of the presidents of the Council, the Rev. Norman Bent, said that the fundamental objective of the Council is to seek Church unity, to evangelize with practical actions and to lobby the regional and central governments to respect the traditions of the Misquito people to sow their crops on both sides of the Coco River, that marks the border with Honduras.

A statement, signed also by the other president of the Council, Bishop David Zywiec, called on the governments of Nicaragua and Honduras to respect the rights of the Misquito people who have traditionally sown their crops on both sides of the river.

Bent said that the Misquitos traditionally harvest on the Coco River banks, on the Honduras side, but Honduran military have barred them from harvesting their grain. This serious situation could lead to severe hunger among Misquito families, he said.

The Ecumenical Council has a presence and impact in Bluefields, capital of the Nicaraguan department of the Atlantico Sur, in Puerto Cabezas, capital of the department of Atlantico Norte and in Raspan.

During a visit to the area, Pastor Zywiec was able to confirm that in the community of Tulimbila, up river on the Honduran side, two farmers had removed many trees to turn the land and others like Luis Benites and Eduardo Green had cleaned land traditionally occupied by community people to raise cattle.

People from Krin Krin on Feburary 5, arrived at a Misquito meeting in Rusrus, Honduras and said they could not cross Honduras to sow crops or bring wood.

In Waspuk, on the shores of the river, they said that people from Rusrus charged for each hectare the Misquitos used and did not let them log trees.

This situation was presented to the Council and the Attorney General and human rights organizations in both countries, so that they lobby their respective governments.

Bent also expressed that the Council is extremely worried about drug trafficking in the zone. Last week a conflict with drug traffickers left four dead and several wounded police officers. The Council demanded that the government develop a national plan to combat drug trafficking.