Actividades militares en territorios indígenas en Colombia: la seguridad nacional y la autonomía indefensa

Abstract

This article analyzes the divergence between, on the one hand, the state’s obligation to safeguard the rights of indigenous peoples and, on the other, defend national security. Thus, reference is made to the (inter)nationally recognized indigenous right to self-determination, as well as to norms and practices that regulate military activities in ancestral territories. It is argued that the alternative generally proposed to the absolute primacy of national security is a healthy balance between the aforementioned state obligations. However, what does this mean for indigenous autonomy? Has it always been conceived as “indefinitely limited” by security concerns, or could it be that in the name of national security only a certain type of indigenous autonomy can be recognized: a defenceless autonomy.