Over the weekend, the Colombian Air Force carried
out raids on illegal mining camps in the Huila and Tolima departments, resulting
in the capture of twelve illegal miners and the seizure and destruction of
various materials and equipment used in illegal mining. According to the
report, the Colombian authorities are investigating whether the proceeds from
these illegal mining operations were used to finance the FARC’s 21st
Front.
On a related note, Colombian Minister of Mines and Energy,
Tomás González, confirmed
that the three workers, who died in a mine collapse last week in the department
of Caldas, were working in an illegal gold mine. Minister González stressed
that, “We must take our miners out of illegality. The #MiningFormalization is
the way out to improve quality of life and avoid tragedies.” El Espectador noted
that the country faces an uphill battle against illegal mining, as illegal
mines currently represent 50% of the country’s exploited mines.
In other mining-related news, Colombian President Juan
Manuel Santos announced
jointly with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff that the two countries would
work together to combat illegal mining along their shared Amazon border. The
first step will be a memorandum of understanding between the Brazilian and
Colombian police, which will go
into effect on November 1st.
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