Overcoming Structural Barriers to Siekopai Land Rights in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Cristopher de la Torre

The Siekopai Nation’s struggle for the Pë’këya - their ancestral land - reveals a disturbing paradox: they have won the legal right to their land but remain displaced by the State’s refusal to enforce it. This discussion paper traces the ‘politics of displacement’ in the Ecuadorian Amazon, showing how modern conservation policies have been weaponised to finalise a dispossession that began with colonial rubber barons and border wars.

With the case now pending before the Constitutional Court, the paper argues that administrative excuses cannot override fundamental human rights. By applying international standards like the UN Pinheiro Principles, the author outlines how the Court can overcome the government’s claims of "material impossibility." This analysis offers a strategic blueprint for transitioning from a mere paper victory to material justice, ensuring the Siekopai’s physical return to their territory.