By Breaking Belize News Staff: Maya leaders and residents from Indian Creek held a press conference last Friday and accused Ya’axche Conservation Trust rangers of harassing villagers and restricting access to lands they say belong to the community under Maya customary use.
The conference followed the reported abduction of Indian Creek Alcalde Marcus Canti and renewed debate over disputed lands in southern Belize.
Village elder Lorenzo Pop claimed tensions began after Ya’axche established operations near Golden Stream. “They said they do conservation. They said they help farmers, but next thing we know that they are taking away our land,” Pop said. He further alleged that rangers were “sending their rangers to stop us from collecting our resources.”
Former Indian Creek chairman Sebastian Shol also accused the organization of contributing to conflict within the village. “During our leadership, the village lived peacefully on our land,” Shol said. “Until Ya’axche begin to hire our own people as rangers to attack us when we are using the land.” Former alcalde Mateo Chub added that villagers were allegedly removed from farms and prevented from accessing lands they traditionally occupied.
Maya Leaders Alliance spokesperson Cristina Coc said the dispute is not with private landowners but with the Government of Belize over the protection of Maya customary land rights. “We are not fighting private landowners, we are fighting for the security of our customary lands,” Coc stated.
The post Maya Leaders accuse Ya’axche Rangers of harassment in land dispute appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: Maya leaders and residents from Indian Creek held a press conference last Friday and accused Ya’axche Conservation Trust rangers of harassing villagers and restricting access to lands they say belong to the community under Maya customary use. The conference followed the reported abduction of Indian Creek Alcalde Marcus Canti and
The post Maya Leaders accuse Ya’axche Rangers of harassment in land dispute appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
