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Colombian soldiers patrol an area controlled by the FARC. (Image from archives)
A Colombian legal tribunal ordered 11 gold mining companies this week to stop operations in the northwest of the country and return the land to Embera Katio tribe, which used to live in the area.
The ruling, RCN reports (in Spanish), is the first of its kind in the South American nation. It restores a 50,000-hectare in the West coast Choco department to the about 7,300 Embera people, which were forced out over the past five years by illegal and violent armed groups.
The decision orders the National Mining Agency, in coordination with the military, to “remove people from outside the community who are carrying out mining activities within the reserve,” a unit of Colombia’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said in a statement Thursday (in Spanish).
Embera girl (Image by IC.org)
The ruling rescinds any titles and concessions to the area held by companies, including South Africa’s AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU), (JSE:ANG) and local firms Exploraciones Choco Colombia, Gongora and El Molino.
According to the United Nations, the coal and gold-rich country has 87 native tribes, with a bit over 1.3 million members. They are said to be at risk of disappearing because of Colombia’s half-century armed conflict between the government and the FARC, also known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which has killed over 200,000 people and displaced millions.
President Juan Manuel Santos Calderon said Thursday his government believes the country would soon be at peace. He has already made peace deals with the FARC and the National Liberation Army, another rebel group, his top political priority.
“If we achieve this —a goal that Colombians have unsuccessfully sought for so long — then there is hope for peace in any part of the world, despite how difficult things can seem right now,” he said in a speech addressing the UN General Assembly.
Santos took the oath of office last month for a second four-year term vowing to finally end the conflict, after an election campaign widely viewed as a referendum on the peace process.
7 Comments
fred quimby
yes, the governments want the land to go back to natives so they can move families back there and starve to death again, governments are just like the USA when it come to mining, they do not like them cause they pay good wages and give work instead of hand outs.
William Tamakloe
My question is, (1) who gave out the LAND to the mining companies? (2) Why and what was land given out for? (3) Where was the government and Tribunal when the land was given out to the mines? (4) What will be the faith of over 10,000 workers?
Will the feed these people and their dependants? I think the Tribunal must come again !
the other Bob
It’s short-term pain for the companies, but running a mine there is painful anyway. This move dissolves the motivation for the tacit alliance of convenience between FARC and the indigenous groups. The result will be a more stable peace. Peace is good for business. Mining will return under a better governance regime.
Dr G
The miners are the FARC or are those paying into their pockets! These arent listed mining companies that have to follow social, environmental and ethical guidelines but small private groups or illegal operations. The titles may have been held by multi-nationals in some cases but they are for exploration and no mining is done by them. By formalising a modern mining industry in Colombia they will prevent a number of problems which include: the laundering of drug money, the prevention of armed groups gaining profits from illegal mining, the establishment of a tax paying mining industry, the prevention of massive environmental damage from illegal mining opertaions using mercury, advancement of the populations through training and employment in a modern mining industry, erradication of social problems associated with illegal mining and the preservation of indigenous groups in non-mining designated areas. The only way to prevent all these issues is to develop a modern and responsible mining industry in Colombia that pays taxes and trains people. If you earn a salary and pay taxes you dont have to pick up a gun or grow coca…thats the reality.
JoL
Many social problems happened in my country is because the mix beetween goverment and armed groups. These groups are held by drug traffic become all this in a criminal enterprise that gives large profits to its leadhers.
Now, The president Juan Manuel Santos is trying make the old land´s owner come back but the threat go on.
Felipe Stuart
Wonderful news!
Please desist from labelling mining companies as miners. This is misleading and dishonest. Miners are workers in the mines, whether they labor under or above the surface, The mining companies and their administrators and/or owners are NOT MINERS.
Free Truth
anybody have the list of these mining companies?