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Mexico City, June 6, 2000 - "It is the responsibility of our generation to make peace in Chiapas" was the message brought by Jose to a press conference in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Jose is a leader in the displaced community of X'oyep, a village in the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico's southernmost state, which has been in a situation of conflict for the past six years. Jose and five other members of the pacifist Christian group "Las Abejas" ("The Bees"), with two members of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), have been on a week-long speaking tour in Cuernavaca and Mexico City.

At a well-attended press conference soon after getting off the bus from San Cristobal de Las Casas, Jose and his wife Maria, along with Sebastian and Maruka from the highland village of Tzajalchen, were able to describe to the world the conditions of the camps for the displaced and the environment of fear in which they are forced to live. Both of these Abejas families are from communities where friends and family have taken refuge after fleeing from threats of military and paramilitary violence. Over 1,100 displaced Abejas are currently living in X'oyep, a portion of the estimated 10,500 internal refugees in the county of Chenalho where the community is located.

CPT workers Scott Kerr (Downers Grove, IL) and Pierre Shantz (Blainville, PQ) are accompanying the Abejas in an effort to build bridges to churches and nonviolent activist communities in central Mexico. Discussions with SERPAJ (Servicio Paz y Justicia), a faith based organization working for justice nonviolently throughout Mexico, led to a tentative agreement to hold a joint non-violent public witness at military bases throughout Mexico this summer.

Other stops on this week's tour included community centers and churches in Mexico City, including several Mennonite Churches. At each stop the Abejas described the political and social situation in Chiapas and encouraged people of different faith backgrounds to work together to being peace to the land.

At the National Autonomous University in Mexico City (UNAM), the group of internationals and indigenous was asked to speak to a class of social science students. When describing the conflict, Sebastian spoke through tears saying, "The conflict in Chiapas is not a religious one or one that is between communities. It is a social conflict to eliminate the indigenous communities." Having seen first hand the costs of this kind of conflict, he challenged all people present to take action and join the non-violent struggle.