Guatemalan indigenous people denounce Canadian mining company's impact on their lands

Record ID: 1671513

  • Title: Guatemalan indigenous people denounce Canadian mining company's impact on their lands
  • Date: 5th May 2022
  • Summary: SAN RAFAEL LAS FLORES, SANTA ROSA DEPARTMENT, GUATEMALA (MAY 3, 2022) (REUTERS) HOUSE IN RUINS / GENERAL VIEW OF ESCOBAL MINE CLOSE OF BROKEN AND FRACTURED HOUSE WALL HOUSE IN RUINS / ESCOBAL MINE DESTROYED HOUSE AND RUBBLE PEOPLE SITTING AT TABLE OUTSIDE A HOUSE XINKA PARLIAMENT MEMBER, BLANCA OLIVA, SHOWING CRACKS IN HER HOME CLOSE OF CRACKS ON THE WALL OLIVA IN OUTSIDE HER HOME GENERAL OF OLIVA’S HOME (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) XINKA PARLIAMENT MEMBER, BLANCA OLIVA, SAYING: “The damages were done because of the vibrations from the quakes. From there, little by little we started to see more of them. When the (mining) company started to fully exploit, work with dynamite, we had quakes from 6 am to 6 pm, everyday at the same time. The cracks were a consequence of that. Because of all the quakes, the houses cracked.” CROPS / ESCOBAL MINE VARIOUS OF SAN RAFAEL LAS FLORES LOCALS POSING LOCAL POINTING AT COMMUNITY CROPS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) XINKA PARLIAMENT MEMBER, CELSO CASUN, SAYING: “This is a crop area. We grown onions, tomatoes, chile. If you see the area, you’ll se a lot of Mayan houses were those crops are grown. But lately the tomatoes have been growing with spots called ‘gold’, and many plagues through the company. Many families had no option but to migrate.” SOLAR COFFEE DRYERS FARMER AND PRESIDENT OF GUARDIANES DE LA NATURALEZA ORGANIZATION PRESIDENT, JUAN ANTONIO RODRIGUEZ, INSIDE COFFEE DRYER RORIGUEZ SHOWING DRY COFFEE BEANS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FARMER AND PRESIDENT OF GUARDIANES DE LA NATURALEZA ORGANIZATION PRESIDENT, JUAN ANTONIO RODRIGUEZ, SAYING: “The only things that keep this communities and area alive, are coffee farming, corn and bean farming and vegetable crops. But we can never say that mining companies will benefit us because we in the seven years of exploitation we haven’t seen that” SIGN READING (Spanish): “IF WE DESTROY THE FORSTS AND WATER, WE DESTROY LIFE. YOU DECIDE! NO TO MINING.” VARIOUS OF LOCALS STANDING IN A BUS STOPS GUARDING THAT NO VEHICLES TAKE THE ROAD TOWARDS THE MINE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) REPRESENTATIVE OF THE MAPUCHE TEHUELCHE COMMUNITY IN LAGUNA FRIA AND CHACAY OESTE, ARGENTINA, PAOLA CORONADO, SAYING: “I believe this fight is (to defend) the territory, for recognition, to defend our traditional social structures, to maintain the cultures, traditions, cosmovision, ways of life and community organizations. I believe these multinational companies disrupt all of that and impose their progress cartels to all of this communities. Those are important factors: the fight for the territory and the fight to stay firm in their beliefs.” VARIOUS DRONE SHOTS OF ESCOBAL MINE (MUTE)
  • Embargoed: 19th May 2022 01:40
  • Keywords: Argentina Guatemala Xinca indigenous mining territory
  • Location: SAN RAFAEL LAS FLORES, SANTA ROSA DEPARTMENT, GUATEMALA
  • City: SAN RAFAEL LAS FLORES, SANTA ROSA DEPARTMENT, GUATEMALA
  • Country: Guatemala
  • Topics: South America / Central America,Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA001582804052022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: In southern Guatemala's small town of San Rafael Las Flores, local indigenous activists have gathered with Argentine activists to discuss how their communities have been negatively impacted by mining.
    During the Regional Summit of Communities Impacted by Pan American Silver, indigenous representatives from Guatemalan Xinka and Mapuche Tehuelche communities and members of the Chubut Communities Assembly Union gathered to share how they believe mining has affected their lives.
    “I believe this fight is (to defend) the territory, for recognition, to defend our traditional social structures, to maintain the cultures, traditions, cosmovision, ways of life, and community organizations. I believe these multinational companies disrupt all of that,” Paola Coronado, an Argentine representative from the Mapuche Tehuelche Community in Laguna Fria and Chacay Oeste communities, told Reuters.
    Since 2017, San Rafael Las Flores communities in Guatemala have installed a nonviolent blockade to prevent vehicles from reaching the nearby Escobal mine, owned by the Canadian company Pan American Silver.
    Member of the indigenous Xinca Parliament, Blanca Oliva, says her house, like many in the community, started cracking because of quakes caused by the mine.
    In 2018, the Guatemalan Constitutional Court ordered a ruling that established the need for a pre-consultation process with the communities living where the mine is located.
    “We can never say that mining companies will benefit us because we haven't seen that in the seven years of exploitation,” said local farmer and president of the environmental organization Guardianes de la Naturaleza, Juan Antonio Rodriguez.
    Since 2021 Guatemalan Mining and Energy Ministry authorities and Xinca Parliament representatives have been holding meetings to bring forth the consultation process and to evaluate the mine has on the communities.
    Pan American Silver said in a statement on Wednesday that they are listening to the requests of the indigenous communities.
    "We have engaged in an open, transparent, and honest dialogue with the communities near the Escobal Mine, addressing their concerns and supporting these communities."
    The company said Escobal is currently undergoing care and maintenance activities and a consultation process led by the Ministry of Energy and Mines.
    Escobal mine hasn’t been operating since 2017.
    (Production: Luis Echeverría, Rodolfo Pena Roja, Nina Lopez)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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