The Andes

Venezuela: massacre reported at wildcat mine

Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro ordered creation of a "Special Military Zone" in the Orinoco Mineral Arc following reports of a massacre at a mining camp in the region.

The Andes

Peru: populist pursues presidency from prison

Left-populist presidential candidate Gregorio Santos Guerrero insists he will run in Peru's April election—despite remaining behind bars at Ancón I prison outside Lima.

The Andes

Colombia: court protects highlands from mining

Colombia's Constitutional Court overturned provisions of the government's new National Development Plan that allowed mining in the ecologically critical high alpine zones.

The Andes

Colombia: peasants sue over mining contamination

Indigenous and Black communities in Colombia’s Chocó department filed a lawsuit, claiming 37 of their children died after drinking water contaminated by nearby mining operations.

The Andes

Peru: hydro opponent slain in Cajamarca

An opponent of the planned Chadín II hydro-electric complex on the Río Marañon in northern Peru was gunned down in a hail of bullets at his home in a rural area of Cajamarca region.