Take Action for the U'wa!

"We will in no way sell our Mother Earth, to do so would be to give up our work of collaborating with the spirits to protect the heart of the world, which sustains and gives life to the rest of the universe, it would be to go against our own origins, and those of all existence."

- Statement of the U'wa People, August 1998

"We are all children of the Earth, help us to defend her."

-Berito Kuwar U'wa, spokesperson Traditional U'wa Authority

Internationally go to your nearest Colombian or US embassy! Let them know that there is a global people's movement demanding justice for the U'wa!

Mobilize in your own community. Whether its a prayer circle, a rally, a vigil, an informational picket, Or an act of non-violent civil disobedience - stand up for the U'wa and make your voice heard.

The struggle for justice must take many forms but please remember to make sure whatever actions you take are in keeping with the U'wa spirit of resistance and are respectful, dignified and non-violent.

See Also:

Urgent Alert to All U'Wa Supporters! Colombia Court Overturns Injunction, OK's Oxy's Plans to Drill on U'wa Land Demand Al Gore take action! Read the U'wa Call to Action and background information!

Tens of thousands of activists around the world have been organizing to support Colombia's U'wa people in their struggle to protect their lands and culture from Occidental Petroleum's efforts to drill. The U'wa, like traditional indigenous peoples everywhere on the frontiers of the expanding corporate global economy are in a life or death struggle. We have reached a dire moment in the struggle - as of Nov 3 Occidental has begun test drilling at the Gibraltar 1 drillsite.

Hundreds of solidarity actions have happened in cities across nearly 20 countries. In the U.S. U'wa supporters have continually demanded that Vice President Al Gore break his silence on this issue and use his long standing personal and political ties to both Oxy and the Colombian government to help the U'wa. With the drilling now under way it is even more important that we answer the U'wa call for international solidarity actions.

Oxy has clearly chosen to begin the drilling at a time when they think they can use America's presidential election to avoid public scrutiny of their criminal actions. It is up to us to break the silence and push Vice President Al Gore to speak out at this critical time.

The sacred traditions of the U'wa have been disregarded, their rights trampled as thousands of troops have invaded their ancestral homelands and the future of their people hangs in the balance.

The issue is clear - will Al Gore call on Oxy and the Colombian government to stop the project or not? Will Al Gore stand up for human rights and the environment or will he continue to allow Occidental to buy his silence?

For background information on the U'wa, Al Gore's connections to Oxy and for downloadable materials check out

For more information, contact:

Bradley Angel Greenaction

(415) 248-5010

Occidental Petroleum Begins Drilling on U'wa Land!

Occidental drills on tribal-claimed Colombian land

BOGOTA, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Occidental Petroleum Corp (NYSE:OXY - news) began drilling a long-delayed test well Friday in a potentially oil-rich corner of Colombia, where U'wa Indians have threatened mass suicide to defend what they claim as ancestral lands.

The $40 million, 14,300-foot (4,360 meter) Gibraltar-1 test well in northeast Norte de Santander province had been scheduled to be sunk in the first half of the year. But drilling was repeatedly postponed because of legal challenges from U'wa leaders, Marxist rebel attacks and bad weather.

A statement from the Mines and Energy Ministry and state oil company Ecopetrol said drilling in the so-called Samore block finally got under way early Friday. The block has been billed as the country's biggest oil prospect and is thought to hold reserves of about 2 billion barrels, according to officials at U.S.-based Occidental.

The government statement, which said results from the test were expected ``in the coming months,'' referred to potential reserves of 1.4 billion barrels of crude. Occidental has said it will take about seven months to complete the well. The field could ensure supplies of oil, Colombia's leading source of export revenues, well into the next decade.

Leaders of the 7,000-member U'wa community have insisted repeatedly that the Gibraltar well site encroached on tribal lands that belonged to their semi-nomadic forebears.

But Occidental, backed by the Colombian government, maintains the well site is located just outside the legal limits of an U'wa reservation.

``LIFEBLOOD OF MOTHER EARTH''

In the past, the U'was, who view oil as ``the lifeblood of Mother Earth,'' have threatened to commit collective suicide by jumping off a cliff if the Samore project proceeded. Tribal leaders could not be reached for immediate comment on their losing battle with the U.S. oil giant. But they have received strong backing from U.S.-based environmental groups in their struggle against the company, which dates back to 1992.

Environmentalists even used the U.S. presidential election campaign to publicize the U'wa land dispute, criticising Democrat Al Gore for owning family shares in Occidental.

Leftist guerrillas, who operate in the area around the U'wa reservation, oppose foreign involvement in the oil industry and have repeatedly attacked construction and engineering equipment being moved into the Gibraltar well site.

Colombia is currently producing about 653,000 barrels of crude per day and exported $3.4 billion of oil in the first nine months of the year. But proven reserves, which stand at about 2.3 billion barrels, are dwindling and the country could become a net importer of oil again by 2005 if no major new finds are made.