There were scenes of joy in Ecuador when the election results were presented.
60 percent had voted for a halt to oil production in the reserve.
– I feel overjoyed by the resounding decision of the Ecuadorians to stop oil drilling in the sacred homeland of my people, said Waorani leader Nemonte Nenquimo at the time.
She continued:
– This is a great victory for all indigenous peoples, for the animals, the plants, the spirits of the forest and our climate!
“It is very worrying”
The reserve, where the disputed oil find is extracted, is home to five different indigenous peoples. Three of them also live in isolation from the outside world. But despite the clear election result, very little has happened since then.
The government has asked for a delay of more than five years before oil drilling is to be stopped completely. They refer to the economic situation in the country is bad and that they need the oil revenues, reports Swedish Radio.
In total, the stoppage would apply to approximately one-eighth of oil production in the country. And the protests against the government trying to delay the process are now causing increasing irritation among the indigenous peoples.
– It is very worrying. The machinery is still there, so where is the commitment from the government?, said Waorani leader Nemonte Nenquimo to the Context news site when a year has passed since the promised stop.
Government: Stopped until 2029
Fernando Munoz, spokesperson for the Yasunido people, agrees.
“We understand that it is not possible to throw away the key and stop oil production overnight, but there is not even a timetable for a gradual and orderly shutdown,” he says.
According to the government, oil drilling must be stopped by December 2029 at the latest. The infrastructure around the oil fields must be removed by August 2030 at the latest.