Gold Mining In Colombia - Cauca Assembly in Resistance

Introduction

Buenos Aires is a small Afro-Colombian mining community an hours drive by jeep from the nearest town in Cauca, South West Colombia. The hall of the local college is filled with a variety of faces from the municipio of Suarez – human rights workers, campesinos, Afro-Colombians and members of local indigenous groups such as CRIC (The Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca). One thing they have in common is that they are all extremely concerned about the existence in their territory of the mining company Kedahda. Paramilitary violence arrived in this part of Cauca two years ago - the same time as the company. It is currently seeking to reform the countries Mining Code which will ease the exploitation of mining resources. This will be at the expense of the small mining companies, the environment and the rights of the local communities. This forum is one of the first steps in exercising the right to life, dignity and permanence in the shadow of this mining giant.

Blood soaked Colombian mining operations do not appear on Anglo Gold Ashanti´s oficial map

London/Johannesburg based Kedahda is 99.98% owned by Anglo Gold Ashanti (the World´s second largest Gold mining company) The company is implicated in grave human rights violations across Colombia. In turn, Anglo Gold Ashanti is 42% owned by the former apartheid Anglo-American (the London stock exchange listed giant that declared an operating profit of US $9.8 billon for 2006). With a subsoil rich in basic minerals, Colombia is considered one of the `new frontiers´ for the mining industry. Already there are approximately 4,261 gold mines, 191 platinum and 10 emerald concessions.

Reform of the Mining Code

The reform to the Mining Code will favour applications from companies with economic and technical advantages. The Special Reserve Zones (protected environmental or ethnic territories) will be opened up only to macro- strategic mineral projects. As such, they will be handed to the biggest investors. To facilitate this, public resources such as water and transport will be made freely available even if it is at the expense of local competitors and inhabitants. Taxation will also be flexiblised; if no deposits are found all taxes for the period of exploration will be dropped. To compound this the reform will further repress Colombia´s famously brief prior consultation process. This amounts to a clear violation of the right to territory and participation for countless communities across the country. Meanwhile the inhabitants of Cauca flounder. The day before (19th May) social movements in the department declared a permanent assembly of the people. It´s opening statement denounced corruption, underinvestment in health, education and infrastructure and the misappropriation of their resources to benefit foreign capital.




New Free Trade Treaty

The new changes link up closely to the new Free Trade Treaty between Colombia and the United States. In November 2005 the Minister of Mines and Energy, Luis Ernesto Mejía, talked of “an enormous world of opportunities that is opened up to the energy and mining sector with Treaty". However, these opportunities look set to benefit only the large trans-nationals whilst destroying any form of protection to small scale Colombian producers. All the changes (privatization/ deregulation/ trade liberalization) will be imposed by the security forces of the state. On a daily basis we are now seeing protest and mobilization against the treaty from all sectors of Colombian civil society. Firma Cavellier de Abogados - a lawyers firm involved in the signing of the treaty in Bogotá - own the 0.02% of Kedahda that does not belong by Anglo Gold Ashanti.

Black Gold

Juan Andrés is an Afro-Colombian in his 20´s. He pointed to the largest mine in the community across the valley. “The environmental damage is wholesale”, he told the delegates, “water, land, air and social composition”. By social composition he is referring to the militarization and para-militarization of the community that comes with the arrival of large scale mining operations. Accompanying this are problems of violence, prostitution, inequality and changes of surname which break social cohesion. “Many of us have been relocated to Cali”, said another villager, (Cali is a city three hour drive away) “We are a rich country but there is so much poverty”.
Kedahda Mining and Forced Displacement; Only in the red dot do the two not correlate


Indeed the correlation between Kedahda´s operations in Cauca and paramilitary violence is by no means an isolated incident. Jorge Molano, a Bogotá based human rights lawyer, told how in 70% of the municipalities where Kedahda have worked there have torturing, disappearances and massacres at the hands of these groups; crimes against humanity that total in their thousands. What is more, in 335 of the 336 municipalities people have been forcibly expelled for the appropriation of their land. Anglo Gold Ashanti and the mining industry at large have a shameful track record in contributing to Colombia´s 3.5 million internally displaced.

Sur de Bolivar

In one of the talks a representative recounted the experience in his department of Sur de Bolivar. Since 2004 Kedahda have opened up operations in this department too. The representative told how the company now owns 150,000 hectares across Colombia. From 1996, Anglo Gold and Conquistador Mines found gold deposits in Sur de Bolivar, opening up one of the bloodiest chapters of Colombian history. Paramilitary incursions have been supported on land, in the air, and in the waterways by the 5th Brigade of the Colombian Army. Blockades cut off delivery of food and medicine vital to the survival of the communities. The results were thousands dead and over 20,000 (officially) displaced.
“Our schools and hospitals have been burned to the ground three times”, he said, “and why? Because of the resources on our land.”
It was a brutal warning from history and a heroic tale of resistance. The assembly became animated by his presentation.
“If we organise and believe in ourselves we can do many things”.
Kedahda Mining Operations (Blue areas - victims of accompanying violence)

Workshops

The forum resolved to strengthen the interethnic and community bodies. Nationally and internationally, the Assembly will seek alliances with politicians and organisations such as human rights NGOs. A march in Bogotá is also being planned. The forum forms part of a strategy of local and regional workshops that will culminate in a national forum later in the year. The proposals of this will be handed to `institutional and non institutional spaces´. Ultimately the aim is to counter-propose the reform of the Mining Code.

Conclusión

Perhaps one of the most positive things to come from the forum is the fortification of solidarity and organization between the indigenous groups and the Afro – Colombians. Traditionally there is not much trust between the two groups in the area. Event organizers and human rights NGO La Red de Hermandad (The Network of Brotherhood) believe it is necessary to confront the problem together and form a collective strategy through the exchanging of experiences and ideas. Through mobilization, in the widest sense possible, these communities hope to achieve permanence in the face of Kedahdas ominous advances.


Before Kedahda mine










After Kedahda mine










"Sustainable development" Anglo Gold Ashanti only use open pit mines








For more info on this topic visit www.minesandcommunities.org

US Protester Confront Colombian President (Video)

Here in Colombia the media dutyfully shows Bush´s stategically timed photo calls with Uribe. They come at an extemely sensitive time for both presidents. The new Free Trade Treaty is being discussed in Washington and the parapolitica or ´Para-Gate´ corruption scandal is reaching the highests levels of the Colombian Government and exposing links between the State / multinational and paramilitary death squads.

Big shout out to the US protesters who are confronting Uribe on his human rights record and a big thankyou to the reader who send through the link to this video...

PEACE COMMUNITY MURDER

PARAMILITARIES MURDER FRANCISCO PUERTA OF THE PEACE COMMUNITY OF SAN JOSE DE APARTADO
14 MAY 2007 Por declraracion completa en castellano vea Peace Community website

Inspite of the arrival of delagates worldwide for San Jose de Apartado in late March, the peace community has suffered a further assasination at the hand of paramilitaries. Since then there have been several well publicized threats against the lives of the community members living in this humanitarian zone.

The muder follows a sting of threats, arrests and violations of the physical and phsycological well being of community members and associates in the proceeding days. These acts were carried out by groups going under the name of Aguilas Negras (a remobilized paramilitary group). All the occurances are documented, dated and timed by the community and continue under impunity from the State both locally and nationally.

The Community sends the following message and call for action:

The continuous deaths, aggressions and threats against our process have not stopped. All the forms of destruction are utilized against us by paramilitaries in joint action with the police to exert pressure, threats and death. Ours historic duty, in the search for respect of civillians in armed conflict, is to give testimony to the facts so that humanity is able to some day to judge these terrorist acts. Again we have to tell of a new murder in violation of the humanitarian zone and against our community:

- Today Monday, 14 from May to the 7:00 to.m., FRANCISCO PUERTA (campesino leader and excoordinador of the humanitarian zone of La Vereda Miramar) was murdered in the front of the Apartadó Bus Terminal by paramilitaries. Two paramilitaries approached him near the store in front of the Terminal where was seated and shot him several times. They subsequently left in peace despite the police presence that surrounded the location.

The same today at 7:30 am. a group of six paramilitaries in civillian clothing were seen with long weapon in el Mangolo. Another four civillian paramilitaries were found with short weapons in Tierra Amarillo. The Military and Police they were found only two minutes from this paramilitary presence.

- On May 13, 10:40: a trader from Apartado arrived to San Josesito to buy some pigs. There he conveyed a message that paramilitaries in the neighborhoods of Apartadó were saying that they were going to carry out a massacre in the Peace Community.

...These facts show the drive of paramilitary murderer that the government tries to hide. They give testimony to a new wave of murders against the leaders of the humanitarian zones and of community members.

This drive of extermination against the community from the Government has again failed since we do not go back before our principles of peace, we will continue firmer than ever. Alongside national and international solidarity we are further animated to continue in transparency to search for an alternative and just world. The work and memory of FRANCISCO gives us force to continue ahead, our greatest sympathy goes to his children and family.

PEACE COMMUNITY OF SAN JOSE DE APARTADO
Mayo 14 de 2007

Please direct denouncements to the followiing authorities demanding that the Colombian Government guarentees the right to life of the community members and recognises it integrity.

Dr. Álvaro UribeVélez - Presidente de la Republica
E-mail: auribe@presidencia.gov.co
Fax: 57 1 566 2071

Dr. Francisco Santos. - Vicepresidente de Colombia
E-mail: fsantos@presidencia.gov.co

Dr. Carlos Franco - Director del Programa de Derechos Humanos de Vicepresidencia
E-mail: cefranco@prsidencia.gov.co, fibarra@presidencia.gov.co

Dr. Michael Frühling - Oficina del Alto Comisionado de Naciones Unidas para los derechos humanos.
E-mail: oacnudh@hcrh.org.co
Fax: 57 1 6293637

COLOMBIA SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN ADDS:

In the UK, also send your e-mail to Colombian Embassy: mail@colombianembassy.co.uk with a copy to info@colombiasolidarity.org.uk

If you are in the USA, these are the Colombian Ambassador's contact points in Washington, DC:
Sr. Luis Alberto Moreno
Ambassador of the Republic of Colombia
2118 Leroy Place NW
Washington, D.C. 20008
Teléfono: +1 (202) 387 8338
Fax: +1 (202) 232 8643
E-mail: emwas@colombiaemb.org

International Labour Day, Cali - In Their Own Words

"Alerta! Alerta! Alerta que camina, la lucha popular en America Latina!
Y venga! Y venga! Y venga compañeros! que aqui esta peleando la dignidad del pueblo!"
"Look out! Look out! Look out here comes the popular struggle in Latin America!
And come, come, come compañeros, for here is the fight of the dignity of the people!"
"Aqui no stamos todos, faltan los presos politicos!"
"Whe are not all here, we lack the political prisoners!"
"Uribe! fascista! usted es terrorista!´"
"[President]Uribe! Fascist! You are a terrorist!""Militares, paramilitares la misma mierda son - matan la gente y dicen que no!"
"Military, paramilitaries are the same shit - they kill the people then say they didn´t!"
"Queremos chicha! queremos maize! Multinacionales fuera del pais!"
"We want chicha! [indigenous drink], we want maize! Multinationals out of the country!"
"Por el derecho de la ladera a ser ciudad, Mesa civica de Ladera, presente! presente! presente!"

"For the right of the mountainside to be part of the city"





"No olvidamos, no perdonamos, no reconcilliamos, verdad! justicia! y reparacion integral! Movimientos de los victimos del estado, presente! presente! presente!"

"We can´t forget, we can´t forgive, we can´t reconcile, truth! justice! and complete reparation! Movement of the Victims of State Crimes, presente! presente! presente!"
´[President]URIBE PARAMILITARY´"Aplauda! Aplauda! No dejé de aplaudí! Gobierno terrorista, se va tener que ir!"
"Clap! Clap! and dont stop clapping! Terrorist Government must go!"
"MILITARES ASSESINOS!!!""El pueblo lo dicen y tienen la razon - Uribe, Mancurso, la msima mierda son!"
"The people say it and they are right, Uribe [President] and Mancurso [paramilitary leader] are the same shit!"[On the privatisation of Cali´s public health service]"Los detenidos politicos no son terroristas, son luchadores del pueblo"
"The political prisoners are not terrorists, they are fighters of the people!"
"El pueblo unido, jamas será vencido!"
"The people united will forever be victorious!"

May Day Message of Solidarity - Cali, Colombia - Oxford UK

From the Comité of Solidarity with Political Prisoners, Cali Colombia, we send a sincere message of solidarity to the workers of Oxford and the Oxford and Districts Trades Council. We have not forgotten your struggle, like our struggle to obtain justice and equality for all. In this way we give our solidarity to your fight and we unite with you as companions even though a sea and thousands of miles separate us.

In Colombia as in England, we are suffering the effects of mass privatization of our public services. Not only public goods are being privatised, but our culture, environment and our system of justice. In Colombia people die at the doors of hospitals because they do not have the economic funds to pay for a system of health that the Sate has left in the hands of private entities. The strategy of this dynamic is to turn around the guarantees of social wellbeing and to increase profits at any cost. Those that are not able to pay are left in the protection of `God´, if the police do not catch them first.

Today we say in concert with the workers of Oxford NO to the policy of `Democratic Security´ of our Government that does not assure the rights of our people but the rights of the social classes that historically have exercised power - silencing social protest in a war against civil society.

We say NO to exploitation. We say NO to the persecution, imprisonment and assassination of our unionists, social leaders and students. We reject privatisation and we reject imperialism. We also reject the British Governments military aid to Colombia and the fictitious resolution of armed conflict through war.

We thank the Oxford and Districts Trades Council and the workers of Oxford for their work in solidarity with the Colombian people.


CSPP (Committee of Solidarity with Political Prisoners, Cali Colombia)
May 01, 2007