On May 11^th, the United States Drug Enforcement Agency helicopters opened fire on a boat traveling the Patuca River near Ahuas, Honduras, claiming to be targeting drug traffickers in the region. Four Miskitu people were killed and four more seriously injured.  It was later revealed that the helicopter was part of a joint Honduran-American anti-drug raid.

A 15 year old girl was killed while taking part in a demonstration against the development of a rubber plantation on farmland on May 16th in eastern Kratie province. Authorities say the land in question is owned by the government, but activists argue villagers have been farming the land for many years and have nowhere else to go if it is developed by a private company.

On May 8th, in the village of San Miguel Chicaj, Baja Verapaz, the Achi-Mayan community radio station, Uqul Tinamit "The Voice of the People," was raided by national police forces; their equipment confiscated and one member of the station arrested and fined.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi met with President Obama and the other G8 members along with three other African leaders  on May 19th to discuss food security on the African continent.  On Friday, Obama pledged $3 billion in private-sector pledges to help feed Africa’s poor.  Our campaign partners, the Oakland Institute and the Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE)  along with over 8,000 signees are calling on President Obama to “reass

On May 8, 2012, at 10:30 AM, Uqul Tinamit community radio station, a Cultural Survival Community Radio Program Partner, that serves the Achi Maya village of San Miguel Chicaj, Baja Verapaz was raided by the Guatemalan police and the Ministerio Publico. Bryan Cristofer Espinoza Ixtapa, the radio station volunteer who was on the air at the time on the raid, was detained by the police. In addition, the radio station’s transmitter, computer, and sound mixer were seized.

Cultural Survival congratulates Board Member, Grand Chief Edward John, on his appointment as Chairperson of the 11^th Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII). This year's session of the Permanent Forum is taking place at United Nations in New York from May 7-May 18. This is the first time the UNPFII has elected a chair from from North America. John will serve a three year term.

On May 4, 2012, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, James Anaya, concluded his official twelve-day visit to the United States. This is the first time a UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has visited the United States to investigate human rights abuses of Indigenous Peoples. In the statement below released on May 4, 2012, he urged the United States to strengthen federal and state measures to address the significant issues affecting Native American, Alaska Native and Hawaiian peoples throughout in the country. Mr.

The newly elected President of Guatemala, Otto Perez Molina and the 158 members of the Guatemalan Congress took office in February of this year. Since then, conflicts between the major political parties have paralyzed the Congress.  Six pieces of legislation, backed by a broad coalition of Indigenous and small farmer’s organizations, remain pending from the previous congress. These bills would protect sacred sites, promote community controlled rural development, and create broadcast licenses for community radio stations.

The president of Guatemala met with leaders of the community radio movement and participants in the Indigenous and Campesino March  on April 19^th  in follow-up to the demands brought by marchers during their nine-day trek from Coban, Alta Verapaz to Guatemala City at the end of