Through a statement released on their social network X, the Siekopai announced the ruling of the judicial institution that ultimately resolved to recognize the ownership of more than 42 thousand hectares to this community, one of the 14 nationalities recognized in this South American nation.

This is a historic decision because it recognizes for the first time the original inhabitants’ rights to the possession of a territory declared protected area, which can serve as a precedent to other indigenous communities trying to recover the control of their lands, the chief of the Siekopai Nation, Justino Piaguage, assured in declarations to the local newspaper El Universo.

The Siekopai, located in the province of Sucumbiós, on the border between Ecuador and Peru, is known as the nation of the multicolored people, who had been prevented from returning to their territories.

The Court also ordered the Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment to offer a public apology to the Siekopai for the violation of their right to maintain possession of their ancestral lands and territories.

The Amazonian indigenous people will have to reach agreements with this Ministry to respect the ancestral practices of land use within a framework that fits with the sustainability of the area.

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