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Criminal groups claim attacks in the southern macrozone in commemoration of the deaths of Lemun, Catrillanca, and Yempi.

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The President of the Senate urged the Minister of the Interior, who was in Biobío last week, to also visit La Araucanía in light of the resurgence of violence.

The commemoration of the deaths of Mapuche community members Álex Lemun (November 12, 2002), Camilo Catrillanca (November 14, 2018), and Yodan Yempi (November 3, 2021) was cited as one of the reasons for the attack on a forestry operation in the commune of Lautaro, La Araucanía, on Tuesday afternoon, claimed by the criminal group Liberación Nacional Mapuche (LNM). Two pieces of machinery, a pickup truck, and facilities were destroyed.

The group issued a statement disseminated through online portals linked to radicalized Mapuche activism. In the declaration, LNM claimed responsibility for what they called a "sabotage action" (sic) against the San Agustín estate and blamed a forestry company for damaging vegetation, soil, and causing drought. The same document demanded the release of imprisoned Mapuche individuals serving sentences, such as Luis Tranamil, convicted for the murder of Carabinero Eugenio Nain, or those held in pretrial detention under investigation.

Another attack, carried out on Tuesday in the commune of Lebu, Biobío, was claimed by the criminal organization Weichan Auka Mapu (WAM) through a banner left at the scene. This violent episode resulted in the loss of two cabins and two control booths at the wind farm, where five wind turbines were stored. The banner also cited the anniversaries of the deaths of Lemun, Catrillanca, and Llempi as motivation for the attack, along with demands for prisoner releases and the construction of a Mapuche unit in Biobío's prison.

Last Friday, meanwhile, the burning of six trucks, two pickup trucks, and a forestry tractor in Nueva Imperial was claimed by the Coordinadora Arauco Malleco (CAM), which in a social media poster cited demands for prison benefits for Mapuche prisoners and "in memory of the fallen" as reasons.

Request to the Minister of the Interior

A call for the Minister of the Interior, Carolina Tohá, to visit La Araucanía was made by the senator for the region and President of the Senate, José García Ruminot (RN). Last week, the state secretary visited the southern macrozone, participating in the Public Order Control Police Station in Los Álamos, Biobío, for the delivery of armored vehicles and a tribute to the three Carabineros killed on April 27.

The legislator stated, "We need her presence to grasp the serious consequences these attacks are causing in La Araucanía."

Source: Subscription edition ofEl Mercurio