Peru: American, British Tourists Held Hostage by Indigenous Group Protesting Government's Failure to Help After Oil Spill

An indigenous group in a remote part of the Amazon rainforest in Peru held a group of American, British, Swiss, and Spanish tourists hostage on Thursday.

Reports said the tourists were traveling on boats along the Marañon river in the Cuninico community when the indigenous group detained them.

Watson Trujillo, leader of the Cuninico indigenous group, told RPP Noticias that this was to protest the lack of government action over an oil spill last September.

Trujillo said they only wanted to catch the government's attention, and after spending the day without any water or electricity, the chief announced that the hostages were finally freed. He noted that "the right and respect for life must prevail."

"In this context, we are going to provide the facilities so that the people who are on the boat can move to their destinations," he added.

Detained Tourists in Peru Included Baby, Elderly, Pregnant Woman, and Disabled People

According to CNN, at least 140 travelers were released by the indigenous group. One of the tourists freed on Friday was Angela Ramirez.

The 28-year-old woman from Trujillo in Peru told CNN that dozens of local travelers and some 20 foreigners were held on boats. Ramirez said they spent the night with almost no water to drink and electricity.

She complained that it was hot, and the youngest among them was a one-month-old baby who kept on crying. She added that pregnant women, disabled people, and the elderly were also on board.

Daily Mail reported that Ramirez was on a cycling trip through the Amazon jungle for eight days when they tried to travel through the Cuninico River by boat.

She said the indigenous group was kind and respectful to them. However, she noted that holding them hostage was a forceful measure of the tribal members to get attention from the government for their community, which has suffered from 46 oil spills that resulted in the deaths of two children and one woman.

Peru Government Expanded State of Emergency to Free Tourists

Angela Ramirez said the indigenous group needed help, adding that "the quicker they are heard the quicker they will let us go... [So] Help me share, we're physically fine. Help me help them to be heard."

The indigenous group wanted the Peruvian government to send a delegation to assess the damage from the oil spill in September, which saw 2,500 tons of crude oil into the Cuninico river.

A rupture caused the spill in the Norperuano oil pipeline, and other indigenous communities have blocked the transit of all vessels on the river in protest. This crisis reportedly led to a lack of water in the community, and fishing became impossible in the remote area.

According to CNN, the Peruvian government gave in to the indigenous group's demands to free the tourists and announced the expansion of an environmental emergency decree to address the oil spill.

Ramirez told CNN that their release came after more than 28 hours of negotiations. She said she was very happy and relieved that "finally, it's over."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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