The Agrarian Summit has announced that the National Strike, which started on May 30, has come to an end with the victory of peasants, indigenous people, Afro Descendants and the indigenous urban populations. Spokesmen of the Agrarian Summit announced the conclusion of the Strike after the signing the agreements to start negotiating the main points of the Unified National Statement.

As Marylen Serna stated, spokeswoman of the Congreso de los Pueblos [Congress of the Peoples], one of the organizations that conform the Agrarian Summit, “the strike has concluded, the communities will return to their territories but we will continue in permanent Assembly. We have been very clear: if the National Government do not meet the agreements, we will immediately convene a new mobilization”.

The spokeswoman stated that there has been many activities during the past 15 days of Strike and activities will be developed in the upcoming days: “We ask all organizations and communities to continue their activities, to continue the mobilization because we need the government to understand that there is great discontent with the past unfulfilled agreements”.

Serna confirmed the signing of an Act of agreements with the National Government. She also said that the National negotiation and the regional roundtables continue: “The Agrarian Summit is strengthened and more visible now”.

What have the social organizations achieved?

According to spokesmen of the Congreso de los Pueblos, the main goal of the National Minga was that the Government gives recognition and legitimacy to the protest. Regarding the list of demands, they assured the possibility of agreements on territorial, environmental and mining issues. Peace, human rights and guarantees for the right to protest will be debated next. Also, they advanced on a scheme to discuss the relation between the city and the rural areas and the unfulfilled agreements.

In total, they signed 10 Acts regarding agreements on different topics and sectorial issues, as well as a general Act. The next step will be a meeting with President Juan Manuel Santos to review the situation of the agreements and to establish the way in which the National and Unified Roundtable will work. There, the remaining issues on the Unified National Statement will be debated. The social leaders thanked all the protesters for continuing the mobilization: At one point, the National Minga reached 100 blocked points in roads and cities, all across Colombia.