Chile: Train derailed and burned in Nov. 2 attack

Event

An unknown group of men derailed a freight train by sabotaging railroad tracks near Victoria, La Araucania Region, Nov. 2. The assailants set fire to the train once it came to a halt. No one was injured in the attack, and a banner and pamphlets demanding the withdrawal of soldiers from the area as well as the release of Mapuche prisoners were found near the scene.

Increased security is likely in the area, and authorities have temporarily suspended passenger rail services between Victoria and Temuco as they clear the rails.

Context

While radical groups that claim to defend ancestral Mapuche lands often launch arson attacks in La Araucania Region, the derailing of a train is a significant escalation of such attacks. While no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, a number of small radical Mapuche groups operate in the area, the largest of which is Organs of Territorial Resistance (Organos de Resistencia Territorial, ORT), the armed wing of the Coordinadora Arauco-Malleco (CAM). Other groups include Weichan Auka Mapu (roughly "Struggle in the Rebellious Territory”) and Lavkenche Mapuche Resistance (Resistencia Mapuche Lavkenche, RML). RML is particularly violent, having launched several armed attacks on police convoys with the clear intent of killing their targets, rather than merely causing property damage.

Advice

Heed the instructions of security officials. Plan for rail delays in the area.