Africa
China mining firms contribute to Congo abuses: AI
Chinese-owned mining companies in the Democratic Republic of Congo are contributing to a culture of human rights abuses, Amnesty International reports.
Tag: informal mining
Central Asia
Tibet mine disaster exposes internal colonialism
As rescuers struggle to reach workers trapped by a landslide at a Tibetan gold mine, China’s authorities “scrubbed” microblog comments on the costs of breakneck mineral exploitation.
Mexico
Narco-coal: Zetas diversify portfolio
Authorities in Mexico's coal-producing northern state of Coahuila say that the notorios Zetas, bloodiest of the country's warring cartels, have taken over much of the mining industry.
The Andes
Peru: two dead in miners’ protest
A clash broke out as riot troops from Peru's National Police force evicted a group of informal miners from their encampment in northern La Libertad region, leaving two miners dead.
The Amazon
Brazil: Amazon peoples declare against hydro
The Munduruku indigenous people in the Brazilian Amazon charge that the government is militarizing their lands to quell opposition to mega-scale hydroelectric projects.
The Amazon
Guyana: miners win ruling over indigenous groups
A judge in Guyana's high court ruled that indigenous groups do not have the right to expel legally titled miners from their traditional lands, sparking protests.
The Andes
Peru: miners block Pan-American Highway
Informal miners in Peru’s Arequipa region declared an open-ended civil strike, blocking the Pan-American Highway at various points before being cleared by the National Police.
The Amazon
Brazil: Amazon native killed by federal police
A Munduruku indigenous man was killed in a gunfight with Brazilian federal police at a remote Amazonian settlement, in a conflict over outlaw gold-mining in the area.
The Andes
Peru: campesino alliance with ‘illegal’ miners
At a summit in Peru's southern Puno region, artisanal miners leader Tankar Rau Rau Amaru and Aymara campesino leader Walter Aduviri pledged unity against corporate designs.
The Andes
Peru: narco-mineral integration
The US Justice Department has frozen the assets of mineral companies owned by Peru’s Sánchez-Paredes family, finding that they are fronts for cocaine trafficking.
Peru: court rules for indigenous sovereignty
Peru’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of an indigenous rainforest community seeking to bar a road that illegal miners and timber cutters want to build through their territory.
The Amazon
OAS rights body presses for truth in Yanomami massacre claims
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights urged Venezuelan authorities “to conduct a thorough investigation” into claims of a massacre at a remote Yanomami setlement.