Campaigns

Covid in La Guajira

2020-04-18T23:01:08Z

How do you wash your hands if you don’t have any water? How do you purchase enough food for your family in order to comply with social distancing when you have no income earning possibilities? Wayúu and Afro-descendant communities in La Guajira, Colombia, a region already struggling with malnutrition and water scarcity, are especially vulnerable in the face of COVID-19.

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News of the Dirty Coal Tour 2014

2014-11-14T15:49:27Z

The world’s biggest mining company, BHP Billiton,held its AGM in London on Thursday 23 October. Colombia Solidarity Campaign worked with other groups in London Mining Network (LMN) including Coal Action Network, Coal Action Scotland, Down to Earth, War on Want and WDM, and with People and Planet and Fossil Free Universities groups, to host representatives of Colombian communities affected by the company’s part-owned Cerrejon coal mine and Indonesian organisations working to stop BHP Billiton develop a massive new coal project in the rainforest of Central Kalimantan.

They attended the company’s AGM to tell shareholders about the destruction of Colombian communities and livelihoods by the Cerrejon mine and the potential impacts of BHP Billiton’s proposed mine in Indonesia. There was an article about the issues in the Guardian. They spoke at a public meeting at SOAS in London, having been prevented at the last minute from speaking at University College, London (UCL), which is sponsored by BHP Billiton. Students in Fossil Free UCL were pretty upset about this. We tried to arrange for the visitors to meet with UCL officials, but we didn’t get very far.

Then our visitors headed off around the country, to the University of East Anglia in Norwich; Sheffield University; Durham University, Newcastle University, then up to Scotland where they spoke at Glasgow University and in Edinburgh. They met with community groups fighting new opencast coal projects in northern England and southern Scotland, and with Members of the Scottish Parliament. Returning south, they met with Bangladeshi groups working to stop UK-listed GCM Resources construct a massive opencast coal mine at Phulbari in Bangladesh, with members of London’s Latin American community, students at Oxford University Fossil Free, and parliamentarians at Westminster.

Anglo American, which co-owns the Cerrejon coal mine with BHP Billiton and Glencore, got upset when we met with parliamentarians.

Take action! Stop forced displacements by Cerrejon Coal in Colombia - sign letter to CEOs of Anglo American, BHP Billiton and Glencore.

Wayuu representative socks it to BHP Billiton over Cerrejon mine

2013-10-29T10:25:01Z

Colombia Solidarity Campaign has been hosting a visit to London by Jazmin Romero Epiayu from Indigenous Wayuu organization Fuerza de Mujeres Wayuu. The visit has been arranged in co-operation with London Mining Network and World Development Movement. On 24 October Jazmin attended the AGM of massive mining multinational BHP Billiton, one of the owners of the Cerrejon coal mine in La Guajira, Colombia.

Cerrejon Coal and Roche residents reach agreement

2013-10-19T09:49:01Z

The villagers at Roche in La Guajira, whom Colombia Solidarity Campaign has supported over the years, have reached a relocation agreement with Cerrejon Coal. Read report here.

La Colosa: La Búsqueda de El Dorado en Cajamarca, Colombia

2011-09-01T20:43:16Z

El precio del oro ha sufrido una gran escalada en años recientes. Como resultado del clima propicio a los inversores promovido por las políticas de seguridad democrática del Gobierno Colombiano, las multinacionales han conseguido derechos de minería en extensas áreas del país. Muchas de estas áreas ocupan parques nacionales y tierras habitadas por los Indígenas, Afrocolombianos y comunidades campesinas. No sólo van a ser devastadores los efectos ambientales, también las comunidades vulnerables van a perder sus medios de vida y su seguridad alimentaria en el que hasta ahora es uno de los países del mundo más ricos en biodiversidad.

La compañía AngloGold Ashanti (AGA), que cotiza en la bolsa de Londres, es el tercer mayor productor de oro del mundo y una de las mayores compañías mineras operando en Colombia. Enriquecida durante la era del Apartheid en Sudáfrica, se le concedió el premio de Greenpeace “Public Eye Award” por ser la Compañía Mas Irresponsable del Mundo, debido a sus deplorables actuaciones en términos de derechos humanos y agresiones al medio ambiente en Ghana, un país donde la compañía ha estado operando durante muchos años. AGA también ha sido acusada de tener vínculos con actividades paramilitares en áreas de Colombia, en particular, el Sur de Bolívar y Cauca, también en la República Democrática del Congo, o por los abusos de fuerzas de seguridad privada en Ghana, Africa.

La Colosa es un proyecto de minería de AngloGold Ashanti en Cajamarca, Tolima, Colombia, el cual, salvo que sea detenido, se va a convertir en la mayor mina de oro a cielo abierto de Sudamérica. La mina se localiza en un área de reserva forestal de gran biodiversidad. Cajamarca es un importante distribuidor agrícola para todo el país y tiene por tanto gran importancia para la seguridad alimentaria de los Colombianos. El uso de enormes cantidades de agua para el funcionamiento de la mina significa que va a haber menos agua disponible para regar las cosechas, o como agua potable para la población. El proceso de “lixiviación” que se utiliza para la extracción del oro del mineral bruto emplea cianuro, un producto químico altamente tóxico que inevitablemente contaminará los recursos acuíferos y destruirá la vida acuática. La zona se caracteriza por tener valles encajados entre altas pendientes y es susceptible de padecer terremotos, así
como fuertes lluvias y desplazamiento de terreno, lo que supone que accidentes tales como vertidos desde piscinas de drenaje, muy comunes en proyectos de minería, tienen alta probabilidad de ocurrir, lo que acarrearía consecuencias devastadoras para las comunidades locales. A pesar de todo ello, el proyecto ha conseguido el permiso gubernamental para iniciarse.

La Colosa: the quest for El Dorado in Cajamarca, Colombia

2011-05-31T14:20:30Z

Summary

Gold prices have surged in recent years. As a result of the 'investor friendly' climate promoted by the Colombian government’s 'democratic security' policies, multinationals have been awarded mining rights to extensive areas of the country. Many of these areas cover national parks, and lands inhabited by Indigenous, Afro-Colombian and peasant communities, who will be displaced to make way for the mining companies. Not only are the environmental consequences for what is currently one of the richest countries in the world in terms of biodiversity devastating; vulnerable communities will lose their livelihoods and food security.

London listed AngloGold Ashanti, the world’s third largest gold producer, is one of the major mining companies in Colombia. Enriched during the Apartheid era, it was awarded the Greenpeace Public Eye award for being The World’s Most Irresponsible Company, following its deplorable environmental and human rights record in Ghana, a country where it has been operating for many years. AGA has also been linked to paramilitary activity in other areas of Colombia, specifically the South of Bolívar and Cauca.

La Colosa is an AngloGold Ashanti mining project in Cajamarca, Tolima, Colombia, which – unless stopped – will become the largest opencast gold mine in South America. The mine is located within an area of forest reserve with high biodiversity. Cajamarca is an important agricultural hub for the whole country, and is therefore of paramount importance for the food security of Colombians. The use of huge quantities of water in the mining operation means that less water will be available to irrigate crops, or as drinking water for the local population. The ‘lixiviation’ process used to extract gold from the ore employs cyanide, a highly toxic chemical that would inevitably contaminate water sources and destroy aquatic life. The area is characterised by having steep valleys and is prone to seismic and volcanic activity, as well as heavy rainfall and landslides – meaning that accidents such as tailings ponds spillages, as have happened in many such mining projects may occur, with long-term devastating consequences for local communities. In spite of all this, it has been given the go-ahead by the Colombian government.

Report on the Anglo American AGM, 21 April 2011

2011-05-10T22:52:18Z

Of the three largest mining companies with London AGMs, (the other two being BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto), Anglo American is perhaps most adept at managing criticism and containing dissent.

Struggle against Greystar Resource's Angostura project in the Colombian páramos of Santurbán

2011-05-10T22:47:51Z

See the following articles:

How a Colombian city united against gold greed

Colombia shuts door on London-listed miner’s precious metals project

Greystar Resources withdraws request for environmental permit in Colombia

Gold rush fuels conflicts in Colombia

Muriel Mining/Rio Tinto at Mande Norte

2011-05-10T22:36:10Z

Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto has come under intense criticism for its association with a small company called La Muriel Mining in Colombia.

La Muriel was accused of failing to consult Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities adequately at its Mande Norte copper-gold-molybdenum exploration project on the borders of Antioquia and Choco in north western Colombia.

See the following links:

Court victory for biodiversity and human rights in Colombia may be overturned

Rio Tinto plays musical chairs at Mande Norte

Strike averted at Cerrejon

2011-05-10T22:27:58Z

Settlement with workers at Cerrejon

On 8 February, the SINTRACARBON coal workers’ union in Colombia signed a new contract with the Cerrejon Coal Company, owned in equal parts by London-listed Anglo American, BHP Billiton and Xstrata.

The agreement came after an overwhelming majority of the workers at the mine voted for strike action. Colombian Vice President Angelino Garzon then offered to mediate, and an agreement was reached.

The agreement includes pay rises of 6.5% for 2011 and around 5% for 2012; improvements in access to medical care; greater assistance with education costs for mineworkers’ children; assistance with accommodation costs; greater commitment to assisting communities affected by the mine; and a commitment to respect the right of subcontracted workers to join a union.

The union attributes its victory to its absolute determination not to give in to unreasonable demands from Cerrejon Coal.

Cerrejon sees Colombia coal pushed to Europe by Asia demand

Asian demand will pull Colombian coal to Europe, says Cerrejon. Company to present expansion plan in next few months.

See http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page504?oid=120815&sn=Detail&pid=92730.