The Laguna Pato indigenous community, located in the Presidente Hayes Department in the Chaco region, has again denounced state neglect. Leader Nanencio Amarilla traveled to Asunción to demand responses from the Paraguayan Institute of Indigenous Affairs (Indi) that, according to him, have not come for six years.
The authorities promised the delivery of three motorized carts for June this year, but Amarilla considers the measure insufficient given the needs of the 11 villages that make up the community. “They only respond under pressure,” the leader criticized, pointing out that local development projects do not arrive on time or with the necessary quality.
Constant flooding worsens the situation, making internal roads impassable and isolating families. Access to food, health, and education is compromised. Food assistance from the National Emergency Secretariat (SEN) is also a target of complaint: the kits sent contain only two kilograms per item, a quantity considered insufficient to supply the entire community.
In addition to the lack of infrastructure, residents face precarious basic services and an absence of job opportunities. The struggle, according to the indigenous people, is not limited to the delivery of tools or supplies, but encompasses the right to territory, work, and effective state attention.
Social organizations and indigenous leaders have been demanding greater state presence and public policies that guarantee the integral development of native peoples, especially in remote areas of the country.