In what almost seems like an annual tradition, Colombian
miners across the country went on strike
today, according to Luz Stella Ramirez Guevara, the director of the National
Mining Confederation of Colombia. She explained that the strike is peaceful in
nature and is intended to draw the Colombian government’s attention to the
antiquated machinery used by the industry and to the imprecision of current
environmental regulations. The protestors will predominantly be small- and
medium-sized mining operations, representing the “artisanal miners” that are
often deemed illegal by a government that wants to end this decentralized
system and formalize the mining sector and concentrate mining operations in the
hands of large corporations.
El
Colombiano reported that the department of Antioquia was going to be the
main site of protests during the strike. Informal miners are traveling to and
congregating in six rendezvous points where they will demonstrate.
Elsewhere, in Colombia’s southwestern Cauca department,
members of the local indigenous and Afrocolombian communities are protesting
the illegal gold mining that happens in their regions. Andrew Almond, a
protestor and leader of the Nasa indigenous community, said, “We protested in
defense of our territory because mining is destroying what is ours. It is a
march in solidarity with the people. Where we fish has become contaminated. We
unite for once and for all protect our resources.”
In unrelated news, Colombian business journal Portafolio
reported that while year-on-year overall foreign direct investment in Colombia
is down 3.3%, foreign investment in sectors other than the oil sector is up
10%. This bodes well for Colombia’s ability to take advantage of the oil crisis
to strengthen the country’s other industries.
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