Indian groups clash over land in southern Mexico
Story-Date: 05:47 p.m. PST Friday   , April 10, 1998

------------------------------------------------------------

Indian groups clash over land in southern Mexico



OAXACA, Mexico (AP) -- At least four homes were burned on Friday in the
latest clash in a land dispute between two Indian groups in the southern
state of Oaxaca, news reports said.

There were no immediate reports of injuries in Friday's clash, the official
Notimex news agency said.

The violence first erupted on Monday, when about 300 Huave Indians from the
village of San Francisco del Mar marched to reclaim more than 120,000 acres
of land held by Zapotec Indians of San Francisco Ixhuatan.

Battles broke out between residents of the two villages and three Huave
Indians were killed, authorities reported. Both sides then traded raids on
each others villages, burning several thatch houses.

Friday's attacks on the homes of Huave Indians were apparently carried out
by Zapotec Indians from Ixhuatan, Notimex said, quoting local police
commander Miguel Toledo de la Cruz.

Toldeo de la Cruz said sporadic gunfire had been reported in some villages
and police patrols were beefed up and a curfew set in hopes of quelling the
violence.

In a separate incident, a group of Zoque Indians on Wednesday released 20
people they had held nearly two weeks in a dispute over illegal logging
in Oaxaca.

In exchange for releasing the 20 captives, the Zoques accepted a government
offer to establish an interagency task force to solve land disputes.

The Indians had accused the 20, residents of a neighboring town, of
illegally cutting trees in the Chimalapas region of Oaxaca.

Seven Indians arrested in Chimalapas on Monday were released as part of the
deal.



------------------------------------------------------------