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"The State Will Not Abandon Tirúa": Boric Explains "3 Approaches" to Address Conflict in the Area

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During his visit to Tirúa, where he inaugurated an SAR, the President of Chile, Gabriel Boric, announced that his government will address the conflict in the commune of the Southern Macrozone through "3 approaches."

The president announced the measures after condemning recent arson attacks in Contulmo, claimed by the radical Mapuche group Weichan Auka Mapu (WAM), which also blocked Route P70 with felled trees.

"Now we are coming in a planned manner. We want to start with Tirúa because we know it has been a long time since a President of the Republic visited the commune, and we want to send a very clear signal that the State will not abandon Tirúa," he stated.

In this regard, he emphasized that to achieve this goal, "it is not accomplished with speeches from Santiago, but by being here."

Regarding the points to address the conflict, he explained that the first is "the Buen Vivir Plan, whose regional and national representatives are here today, to accelerate and move forward with investments that have lagged so far behind in this area."

In this sense, he highlighted that this "approach" prioritizes employment, habitability, access to water, housing, support for SMEs, and agriculture. "It is a central part of our way of addressing this conflict," President Boric clarified.

"Secondly, the substantive dialogue regarding land issues. We cannot ignore it, which is why we created the Commission for Peace and Understanding, with broad cross-sectoral support that was not easy to achieve," he asserted.

Because of this, "we had to overcome many distrusts, a community torn apart by all kinds of violence."

"It is very difficult to bring the different parties to the table," he stressed.

For this reason, the president acknowledged that "it is extremely important for the State to have this perspective, for the land issue to have a resolution, because the current system of land purchases is completely exhausted and does not provide a solution."

"That is why the Commission for Peace and Understanding will begin its work now in the regions as well," he emphasized.

"And thirdly, the issue of security, which is also important, but for a long time it seemed to be the only thing talked about," he warned.

"I know that public and private investments will bear fruit when violence gives way to dialogue and understanding," he added.

"We have made progress; crimes have significantly decreased since 2021-2022, but there is still much to do," he stated.

Finally, President Boric emphasized that political will is required to reach an understanding with the Mapuche people and that there will be individuals from different factions who will attempt to sabotage agreements.

As an example, he cited the perpetrators of the arson attack on the church and those who refuse any dialogue with the Mapuche people. "We must overcome both and achieve that understanding. That is what we are working on," he concluded on the matter.

Source:www.biobiochile.cl