What Happened
The 36-year civil war in Guatemala resulted in the death of approximately 200,000 people, the destruction of hundreds of villages, and the rape of more than 100,000 women. The indigenous Maya people suffered these crimes at disproportionate rates, and both the United Nations and the country's truth commission found that state forces committed acts of genocide.
Although the war ended in 1996, Maya leader Mario Simón Chávez claims that violence has not truly ended. "Fortunately, Guatemala is no longer experiencing an armed conflict," he said. "However, the internal armed conflict has left indelible scars on our people".
Why It Matters
Indigenous communities continue to experience structural forms of conflict through state corruption, dispossession of their lands, and attacks on their self-determination. "For our peoples, peace is only possible when our collective rights, our right to self-determination, and our ancestral relationship with our territories are fully respected," Chávez said.
Indigenous nations and communities worldwide are facing the lasting legacy of conflict. This week, indigenous delegates are bringing these ongoing challenges to the United Nations' Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) in Geneva.
The Scientific Mechanism Behind It
A preliminary study, prepared by EMRIP and informed by over 80 contributions from a wide range of indigenous peoples and other experts, states that this ongoing struggle should be understood as more than just armed violence. This includes militarization, occupation, forced displacement, and structural violence linked to colonization, resource extraction, and political repression.
According to the study, conflict affects virtually all aspects of indigenous peoples' lives. It threatens the right to life, liberty, and security.
Broader Context
Indigenous peoples have long-standing traditions of diplomacy, mediation, customary law, and peace-building. However, these traditions are often ignored or marginalized in international peace processes.
In Aotearoa, New Zealand, colonization is not a historical event that has been overcome. Laws, policies, and governance arrangements continue to affect the self-determination, participation, and authority of indigenous peoples over their own affairs.
What Happens Next
EMRIP seeks to strengthen international guidance on the protection of indigenous peoples' rights before, during, and after conflict, recognizing indigenous peoples not only as communities affected by violence but as rights-holders and participants in subsequent prevention, reconciliation, and peace-building.
The struggle for self-determination is part of a broader movement in the Pacific among indigenous peoples, with French Polynesia, Guam, Tokelau, and American Samoa also among the territories on the United Nations' list of non-self-governing territories seeking real independence.
Conclusion
Peace is not simply defined by the absence of war. Lasting peace also requires justice and the meaningful implementation of the minimum standards affirmed in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Source / Reference
This story was originally published by Grist with the title For Indigenous peoples, conflict means so much more than war on July 15, 2026.