Colombian military activates new anti illegal mining unit

On Thursday, RCN Radio was on hand for the ceremony introducing the Colombian Army’s new unit charged with fighting illegal mining in Colombia. The unit is made up of two battalions of 150 men, with access to additional air units to transport the soldiers on missions to remote illegal mining hotspots in departments such as Cauca, Nariño, and Valle de Cauca.

In other news related to illegal mining, Colombia and Peru announced a renewed commitment to jointly fight against the scourge of illegal mining along their shared jungle border in order to protect biodiversity in the Amazon. This agreement was ratified during a meeting in Lima, Peru between the two countries’ defense ministries. Colombia and Peru agreed to coordinate actions against illegal mining along their shared border.

El Tiempo wrote on Thursday in defense of responsible mining, explaining how the mining industry could be made more sustainable with a minimal impact on the environment. The article argued that responsible mining brings additional benefits to mining companies and their workers, to local communities, to for the environment. According to El Tiempo, the three keys to responsible mining are: replacing and protecting natural capital, economic sustainability in the communities, and the elimination of welfarism by mining companies.

The article highlighted the work of a particular organization called IGNEA, short for Innovation – Management – Negotiation – Entrepreneurship – Agro Business. IGNEA works with mining companies and communities to implement mining that is responsible and sustainable.