Three U'wa children were drowned in a fast-flowing river as the U'wa ran from the attack. The blockade has since been rebuilt. The U'wa continue to stress their strong opposition to the oil project and have repeatedly stated their willingness to die defending their land and culture. The U'wa vowed that they would commit mass suicide by leaping from a cliff if oil drilling took place on their lands. Now, while not ruling out the will to die, the U'wa are focusing on life and resistance.
Oil maintains the balance of the world and is the blood of our mother.
These uncontested facts are well known in Colombia. Rather than acknowledge the truth, namely that the U'wa are in no position to speak openly about what is really happening, the NGOs continue to attack Occidental. But both the U wa and NGOs have issued multiple condemnations of the guerrillas. Meriage s oral testimony to Congress included the admission of direct payments from Oxy to the guerrillas. Amazon Watch and other NGOs are calling on the oil company to reveal the full extent of the payments and their relationship over time.