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Colombia's native tribes protest for land

BOGOTA, July 21 (UPI) -- Indigenous tribes in Colombia are demanding government military and guerrilla armed forces remove their bases from their land, officials said.

More than 5,000 people from nine native tribes in the town of Toribio are protesting a proposal from the Colombian government that would add more than 600 troops in the area, El Tiempo reported Thursday.

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They want both the national army and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, better known by its Spanish acronym FARC, to respect international humanitarian law, officials said.

The U.N. declaration on human rights of indigenous people states no military base should be installed without consultation with authorities and communities of indigenous people.

The indigenous groups in the Cauca department said they will need pressure from Colombian civil society to remove military installations from both sides.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announced the High Mountain battalion proposal last week after recent attacks from the guerrilla group in the area.

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