Chile: At least five people injured in armed attack in Lumaco, La Araucania Region, May 24

Event

At least five forestry workers were injured in an armed attack in the Relun area of Lumaco, La Araucania Region, May 24. Authorities said that one of the injured was shot in the head and that the emergency response was slowed by the attackers blocking roads with fallen trees. Police and military forces are likely to launch a major operation in the area to investigate the attack and search for the perpetrators, disrupting transport and business operations.

Context

While radical groups that claim to defend ancestral Mapuche lands often launch arson attacks on forestry equipment and trucks in La Araucania Region, the shooting of forestry workers represents a significant escalation of such attacks. Although 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 possible delays in the area.