The Andes

Peru: high court rules for indigenous rights

Peru’s Supreme Court ruled that decrees on application of the Prior Consultation Law issued by the Energy and Mines Ministry fail to meet standards for indigenous rights.

South Asia

India: tribal people expel mining company

In a vote ordered by India's courts, the Dongria Kondh tribe overwhelmingly rejected plans by British mining giant Vedanta Resources for an open-pit bauxite mine on their lands.

Greater Middle East

Syria: Nusra Front cleanses Kurds

Up to 20,000 refugees have crossed from Syria into Iraqi Kurdistan, fleeing fighting between Kurdish militias and Salafist factions led by the Nusra Front. 

Inner Asia

Tibet: anti-mining protesters under siege

Ethnic Tibetans protesting what they called illegal mining operations clashed with Chinese security forces in Qinghai province, where hundreds of troops are deployed.

South Asia

India: ethnic strife spreads across northeast

Ethnic Naga and Kuki militants in Manipur state are blocking roads to press demands for local autonomy, while Adivasi tribal peoples raised barricades in Assam and Nagaland states.

South Asia

India: Gorkha separatists block tea exports

A general strike called by Gorkha separatists in West Bengal has brought production of the world-famous Darjeeling tea to a halt to demand creation of “Gorkhaland.”

Africa

Darfur: ethnic war exploding again

Efforts by pastoralist militias to bar refugees from returning to their lands in Darfur have sparked yet a new wave of fighting and displacement—with 250,000 uprooted this year. 

The Andes

Colombian town expels mining company

After a lengthy dispute with global mega-firm AngloGold Ashanti, the people of the central Colombian town of Piedras passed a referendum to halt the company's operations. 

The Andes

Colombia: strikes halt US coal giant Drummond

Indefinite strikes brought Drummond’s coal mining operations to a halt in Colombia, putting further pressure on the country’s economy amid a growing wave of labor actions.