Extortion, kidnappings and robberies: Venezuelan indigenous group adopts guerrilla modus operandi in Bajo Apure

The main problem in Guachara, Achaguas Municipality in Apure State, is insecurity. This is stated by residents of this area where there is a significant indigenous presence. “The bad indigenous people from Capanaparo are invading us,” say some residents of the central area of Guachara.

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At the entrance to the town, indigenous people can be seen living on the banks of the road, because they claim to be fleeing the violence that exists in ‘San José de Capanaparo’ and that encompasses all sectors of life in lower Apure. At least seven families have sought refuge in this area.

The indigenous people of San José de Capanaparo, Freddy Durán, Fabián Ambrosio alias “Pocho Durán” (trained by the National Liberation Army -ELN- for five years) and Pedro Orlando Durán, have been in charge of forcing the owners of the farms to leave their lands, extort the producers for ‘protection’, kidnap the children of the owners of the farms and recruit indigenous people.

“The Colombian guerrilla gave alias “Pocho” permission to return to his community and he began to ‘embromar’ (trick, harm) people. He wanted to form a guerrilla group with only Pumé indigenous people. In recent days, the Government has been visiting the area of San José de Capanaparo, because the indigenous people have not only disappeared people, stolen cars and motorcycles, but has also installed a protection racket and is extorting the inhabitants. They pose as ‘elenos’ (ELN Colombian guerrillas) and they are the same people as us, indigenous. Right now they are quieter,” added a source who prefers to remain anonymous.

Those interviewed for this report state that this criminal structure has been operating since December of last year (2023) and so far has managed to displace at least 23 property owners from San José de Capanaparo. The authorities made a visit a few days ago to calm things down after the increase in robberies and other crimes committed in the area.

“They are arming themselves with any old weapons that they can get. The indigenous people are fleeing that area, because they recruit their children to commit crimes. They have a group of approximately 40 armed indigenous people. Cheese sellers have to pay a ‘vacuna’ (vaccine, protection fee) to this criminal group on their sales. They operate in this area with easy access to the neighboring country, Colombia, crossing the Arauca River and which also requires livestock farmers to pay ‘vacuna’ for the slaughter and movement of livestock. They believe they are the owners and lords of this area,” said another source who asked to keep his identity confidential.

Currently, the Morichalote spa, located in the community of San José de Capanaparo, is the favorite scene for criminals to perpetrate motorcycle thefts and robberies of locals and visitors.

“They created their own guerrilla, because they assume that because they are indigenous they are free from punishment and are immune. It is a new guerrilla that not only asks for ‘vacuna’ from ranchers, but also from the owners of evangelical camps. They have recruited approximately 40 indigenous people,” said a resident of the area.

Listless authorities

According to testimonies collected by lapatilla.com, this armed group charges at least four cows to free kidnapped people and mobilize livestock. “They enter the houses through the roofs and take out all the belongings,” said an aggrieved person who regrets such a defenseless situation.

“The so-called indigenous guerrillas give ultimatums to the farmers to abandon their properties, they take the cattle by the fistfull, they are armed, no one approaches them because they are afraid of them,” confessed the owner of a farm.

“We want to get out of this bad government that we have so that a better government can come. Thieves are also rampant, they break into farms and houses, they steal livestock and the authorities do nothing. They identify themselves as guerrillas, but there is so much insecurity that we don’t know who they are, they take money from people, we don’t find what to do. One does not sleep well, because they take the cattle out of the corrals at night. In Guachara they sell a lot of stolen meat,” said a producer concerned about this situation.

The Government is perceived as listless by a portion of the population of Guachara, because when cows are lost, the victims go to government entities to report and: “They don’t do anything, you can’t leave the houses alone, because the owners’ belongings, the motor (irrigation) pumps, even the mules, are stolen. When officials recover something, they want to take half of everything from us. This Government ended everything,” said a landowner to lapatilla.com.

The inhabitants of the indigenous community of ‘Las Campanas’ reveal that in that area of Bajo Apure they lack government protection. “There is insecurity, people do what their body tells them to, there are many people fleeing violence,” added an indigenous person when asked about the issue.

Sources from the indigenous sector reveal that about 80 people have left the communities near the Capanaparo River forced by violence, because this river area is close to Colombia and considered key for the development of illicit activities such as smuggling and drug trafficking.

The Colombian guerrilla in the Guachara parish operates in the Capanaparo and Arauca rivers in southern Venezuela. “Men dressed in green or black always pass by in loaded canoes during the ‘invierno’ (winter, rainy season), because the Government doesn’t go there. The river is used as a thoroughfare, they come and go easily.” During ‘winter’ the movements are more frequent, because the river is deeper and it is easier to traffic with larger engines. Right now everything is dry. During winter form very large beaches. “They don’t mess with anyone,” said a resident of Guachara.

No living means

Formerly, the landowners of Capanaparo maintained the agricultural and livestock economy of the Guachara parish. Currently, the economic situation is chaotic because ranchers and indigenous people have been forced to abandon this geographical area because threats, robberies and murders have taken over this area.

“The neighbors and ranchers are tied up, they are given hours, minutes to leave the area. The visible face of the guerrilla are the indigenous people, who are now immersed in drug consumption and now carry high-denomination foreign currency bills (dollars and pesos),” asserts an opposition politician consulted on the subject.

“All the residents of the Santa Josefina axis up to Las Campanas have been evicted, totally deteriorating the economy of Guachara in terms of the sale of livestock, the production of meat and cheese. As this area remains empty, there are no opportunities for improvements or employment. Now the residents have chosen to fish. The indigenous people do not plant, they do not produce anything, it makes no sense that they have evicted the producers, one does not know who is who,” he argued.

An indigenous person from San José de Capanaparo tells us crying of the suffering it means to live in this territory in the absence of the Venezuelan State.

“In some indigenous areas, the guerrillas provide work to the residents of the indigenous communities. The guerrillas move along the rivers during ‘winter’. But since the river dried up, they travel on motorcycles and in cars dressed as civilians. Now the guerrillas are more present in that area. Before they were only few, now they have six bongos full of people. The indigenous criminals of the Pumé ethnic group work with the guerrillas,” added a member of the indigenous community.

The fear of reporting to the authorities is the most common thing among the residents of the Guachara parish due to the presence of armed groups in this strategic area for the development of the illegal economies run by guerrillas. “In that area they prohibit the use of telephones so that the reality that occurred in the vicinity of the Capanaparo River is not known,” said an indigenous person.

In El Yagual they impose their law

In El Yagual, Guachara parish in Apure State, the inhabitants of this area are subjugated by the Colombian guerrilla. “They appear from time to time, and they come with a specific point, a reference, they come with a defined purpose,” added the owner of a farm. The guerrillas have camps in this region. The sources consulted specify that there is a guerrilla camp, located in the former headquarters of the Mariquitero herd.

The most common crime in this area is extortion, carried out by armed groups supported by some farm workers, who generally serve as informants. While the security agencies remain silent and absent, the crime of extortion and drug trafficking is established in the El Rodeo area, remarked those interviewed.

“On the farms they blackmail the owners, they manipulate them, they beat them, they threaten them, they take everything from them and they leave. They take away animals valued at between 2,000 and 3,000 dollars. They also ask for cash and so-called ‘collaborations’. They wear uniforms and carry weapons, they are visible to the population and they have family in El Yagual,” he noted.

The illegal groups even call up neighbors meetings in El Yagual to notify attendees of their presence. They ask the population not to report the deaths of criminals because these murders are justified to guarantee security. “They spread terror. If they say that you are not going to go out after 8:00 at night, then you don’t go out, they impose curfews. They threaten that they have the names of people they are going to eliminate. The Government and they collude,” added a resident of El Yagual.