Guatemala: Situation of formerly displaced indigenous people who have returned from Mexico to Huehuetenango, particularly those of Q'anjob'al (Kanjobal) ethnicity; whether such individuals would be suspected of being former guerrilla supporters; proportion of Huehuetenango's population whose native tongue is Q'anjob'al (1998-January 2002)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 29 January 2002 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | GTM37893.E |
| Reference | 5 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Guatemala: Situation of formerly displaced indigenous people who have returned from Mexico to Huehuetenango, particularly those of Q'anjob'al (Kanjobal) ethnicity; whether such individuals would be suspected of being former guerrilla supporters; proportion of Huehuetenango's population whose native tongue is Q'anjob'al (1998-January 2002), 29 January 2002, GTM37893.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4be3828.html [accessed 27 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
As of 1999, when a voluntary repatriation agreement reached by the government of Guatemala and displaced Guatemalans living in Mexico officially ended, approximately 43,000 displaced Guatemalans had returned to their country of origin over the previous seven years (USCR 2001). Many of these individuals were of Q'anjob'al (also known as Kanjobal), Man or Chuj indigenous ancestry (Nuevo Mundo 5 Aug. 1999).
State agencies and other organizations have implemented a number of initiatives to assist formerly displaced individuals returning to Guatemala from abroad (International Center for Research on Women and Centre for Development and Population Activities 1999). For example, authorities reportedly purchased 33 rural estates at a cost of US$30 million (CDN$45,855,000) as a means of facilitating the resettlement of repatriated Guatemalans (IPS 18 Aug. 1998). Furthermore, according to a 1999 report by the International Center for Research on Women and the Centre for Development and Population Activities on the situation of formerly displaced Guatemalan women,
The Guatemalan government has taken some responsibility for reestablishing educational infrastructure through the Peace Development Fund (FONAPAZ) and the Social Development Fund (FIS) and has provided drinking water, health centers, and housing. Some health services have been taken care of by NGOs. Cooperatives have been formed to generate jobs and income, including projects on livestock, irrigation, credit, farming, and the marketing of palm fiber, rubber, and chewing gum. Women's centers have also been established in some of the communities.
As well, in early 2000 the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) "launched a pilot project to train more than 1,500 returned refugees on co-operatives, project management, administration, finance, leadership, gender equality, and democracy" (USCR 2001). However, this project was terminated in September 2000 when UNHCR "declared an end to its activities to help Guatemalans returning from Mexico" (ibid.).
Information pertaining specifically to the situation of formerly displaced indigenous people who returned to the Department of Huehuetenango from Mexico was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, in August 2000 approximately 1,500 formerly displaced individuals residing in Huehuetenango claimed that the government had failed to abide by the terms of the 1996 peace agreement, and warned that they would go back to Mexico unless the authorities took steps to do so (El Orbe 29 Aug. 2000).
On 25 August 2000, the Mexican newspaper Zona Libra reported that 223 Q'anjob'al indigenous people who had repatriated to Huehuetenango in 1998 had gone back to Mexico, citing the lack of financial assistance from Guatemalan authorities. According to a Guatemalan consular official based in Comitán, Chiapas, part of the money destined for resettlement initiatives had allegedly been used instead to fund the construction of a sports facility (ibid.).
With reference to the situation of formerly displaced Guatemalans in general, the US Committee for Refugees stated that while "displaced Guatemalans who wish to return home are no longer prevented from doing so by ... fear of persecution," some returnees reportedly expressed regret in 2000 "at having repatriated, claiming that they received poor land, and that they faced hunger, disease, random violence, and land tenure problems" (2001).
No information on whether formerly displaced Q'anjob'al indigenous people returning to Huehuetenango from Mexico would be viewed as former guerrilla supporters could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, in Pueblo Nuevo, Ixcán, members of Mama Maquin, a group active in promoting women's rights, were reportedly harassed by men in the community (CAR 2 June 2000), who accused them of being Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (Unión Revolucionaria Nacional de Guatemala, URNG) sympathizers (ibid.; ibid. 10 Sept. 1999) and set fire to their offices (ibid. 2 June 2000).
Sources consulted by the Research Directorate provide contrasting estimates of the number of Q'anjob'al speakers in the Department of Huehuetenango, ranging from a low of 75,155 (Guatemala Site 2001) to a high of 205,670 (Interhuehue n.d.). According to a 1999 report by the Planning and Programming Secretariat (Secretaría de Planificación y Programación, SEGEPLAN), a Guatemalan state agency, Huehuetenango's total population stands at 854,137, of whom 139,936 live in urban areas.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Central America Report (CAR) [Guatemala City]. 2 June 2000. "Woman Refugee Organizations Face Uphill Battle upon Return from Mexico."
_____. 10 September 1999. "Displaced Come Home to Diverse Conditions."
Guatemala Site. 2001. "Idioma q'anjob'al."
Inter Press Service (IPS). 18 August 1998. Celia Zubieta. "Refugees-Guatemala: Mass Returns Come to an End." (NEXIS)
Interhuehue. n.d. "Idiomas q'anjob'al, akateko, popti' y chuj."
International Center for Research on Women and Centre for Development and Population Activities. 1999. "Refugee and Returning Women: Challenges and Lessons from Guatemala."
Nuevo Mundo [San Francisco]. 5 August 1999. "Concluye repatriación de refugiados guatemaltecos."
El Orbe [Tapachula, Chiapas]. 29 August 2000. "Mil 500 exrefugiados guatemaltecos amenazan con regresar a México."
Secretaría de Planificación y Programación (SEGEPLAN). 1999. "Main Indicators for the Department of Huehuetenango."
US Committee for Refugees (USCR). 2001. World Refugee Survey 2001.
Zona Libre [Tapachula, Chiapas]. 25 August 2000. Fredy Martín Pérez. "Diplomático Guatemalteco Admite que no se Apoyó a Familias que Regresaron a México."
Additional Sources Consulted
Central America NewsPak [Austin, Texas]. 1998-1999.
Central America Report [Guatemala City]. 1998-2001.
IRB databases.
LEXIS-NEXIS.
Internet sites including:
Amnesty International.
La Hora [Guatemala City]. 2001.
Human Rights Watch.
Misión de Verificación de las Naciones Unidas en Guatemala (MINUGUA)
La Prensa [San Pedro Sula]. 1998-2001.
World News Connection (WNC)
