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Original article: Violento desalojo en Alto Biobío: Fuerzas represivas queman rukas y bienes de familias mapuche pewenche de Rgaliko

Embers and Resistance: Lob Rgaliko Accuses the Chilean State of Crimes Against Humanity Following Devastating Eviction

Images of the burning rukas of Los Rgaliko. April 23, 2026.

The Mapuche pewenche community of Rgaliko (Lob Rgaliko) in Alto Biobío has issued a public denunciation following a violent eviction carried out on April 23 by repressive forces of the Chilean state, supported by private entities. In their public statement, they report that their rukas were reduced to ashes, destroying not only their homes but also years of autonomous and dignified living. They describe the event as a new chapter in the historical genocide against the Mapuche people, reminiscent of the Rankil massacre and the so-called pacification.

The affected residents recount losing everything: beds, food, tools, and cherished memories. They specifically point fingers at landowners, particularly the Bunster family, accusing them of replicating the incendiary practices of their ancestors. Additionally, they warn that this eviction signals the type of dialogue that the Kast government intends to impose: «through fire and forced displacement«, characterizing it as a crime against humanity endorsed by fraudulent state policies.

Despite the tragedy, the Rgaliko community proclaims that they will not back down and rejects any classification of violence or terrorism, instead shifting the blame onto the state and private actors. They call on all of Wallmapu and nearby communities to support them through kellewun and mingako to rebuild their rukas as many times as necessary. “We will be seeds, and no sadist will uproot us,” they assert. Below is the complete statement:

Public Statement from Lob Rgaliko, Alto Biobío

Marrimarri kom pu Lonko, kom pu Machi, kom pu peñi, kom pu lamgen, kom pu che de Alto Biobío, de wallmapu, de otras ciudades y gente consciente de la lucha territorial mapuche.

1. We inform you that on April 23, a violent eviction was executed repressively by the state of Chile, as part of the ongoing history of Rgaliko, reviving the genocide perpetrated against our ancestors, similar to the so-called pacification and the times of the Rankil massacre, where the repressive political forces of the state act as the armed arm of the wealthy landowners, allowing them to commit grave acts and abuses against our families, as our rukas were burned by a gang of arsonists (special forces, PDI, military), infringing upon our integrity as an ancestral people, our rights as indigenous people to live with dignity on our ancestral territory, causing irreparable damage to the social, cultural, and spiritual fabric of our pre-existing indigenous community.
2. All of our rukas were reduced to ashes, including our possessions: beds, blankets, clothing, food, and tools—nothing was salvaged. Not only were our homes burned, but years of effort, autonomous Mapuche life, and above all dignity were destroyed, demonstrating that it is possible to live as in the times of kuibi moñen, especially when the state wants to see us disappear as Mapuche pewenche.
3. We, as conscious Mapuche of this crime against humanity committed by the genocidal Chilean state, view the act as a vendetta from the landowners who burned our rukas just as their grandparents (the Bunster family) did to our Mapuche pewenche ancestors. We also believe this is an indication of how the Kast government will respond to the demands of the Mapuche movement, that their method of dialogue will be through fire and forced displacement, reviving the times of cornering and reduction as in the days of malón told to us by our ancestors. We firmly believe this eviction struck not only at Rgaliko but at all lob involved in recovery and resistance in Alto Biobío.
4. We inform the people of Alto Biobío that we will not back down, we never lose hope that this situation will be resolved; we are not violentists or terrorists. In this case, the landowners are the genocidal terrorists endorsed by the state and its law enforcement to commit violence in one form or another. We are aware and will remain steadfast in our fight to reclaim our rights. We knew this situation might occur, and it is not a matter of who has more strength or bullets to fire; it was a purely political act, state policies that granted privileges to the private sector through fraudulent machinations and purchases that involved wrongdoing—where our ancient Lonko, Ignacio Maripé Purrán, and his father never sold their land to this colonist who now claims it as his own. We, as youth, children, adults, and elders, understand this situation and want our ancestral Mapuche rights to be restored.
5. We call upon all of Wallmapu and neighboring communities to help us in various ways, for this situation represents an injustice that we wish our children never had to endure. We trust in the kellewun and the mingako to rebuild our ruka a thousand times if necessary.

Today, we see pewenes rooting in the mountain range with the strength of the sun and the kurrub; we will be seeds, and no sadist will uproot us.
The yellow and blue flag stands firm and will guide us until we overcome.

Lob in Resistance Rgaliko.

La entrada Violent Eviction in Alto Biobío: State Forces Burn Rukas and Property of Mapuche Pewenche Families in Rgaliko se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.