Armed men destroy 14 trucks in southern Chile in suspected Mapuche attack

Boulevard casino Dreams: A group of armed men burned 14 trucks, machinery, and the offices of a construction company in southern Chile on Wednesday night amid an ongoing years-long conflict between the state and the Mapuche indigenous group.

The incident appeared to be intentional and the evidence gathered at the scene linked the fires to a resistance group formed by the indigenous Mapuche, said Chief Police of Cautin providence, Cesar Bobadilla. On Sunday Chilean police arrested fifty people after they registered fires and destruction in various municipal offices and other incidents in La Araucania region.

La Araucania, where the Mapuche population is concentrated, is one of the regions with the highest poverty rates in Chile. Members of the Mapuche indigenous group have long-standing disputes with companies in the area, mainly forestry, and the state in demand for restitution of ancestral territorial rights.