Eviction by Anglo Gold Ashanti in Colombia

Wed Aug 5 18:09:32 BST 2009

> hi,
>
> here is an urgent action about gold. i was just in colombia and talking to communities affected by this. the gold struggles now are very intimately tied to the financial crisis. apparantly there is a massive expansion of gold mining going on, purely for speculative purposes (There is very little industrial use for gold), and linked to the decline of the dollar, people are buying gold, especially china and india are increasing their reserves.
>
> Kolya Abramsky.
>
>
>
>
> --- On Wed, 5/8/09, ColombiaSolidarity <colombiasolidarity at riseup.net> wrote:
>
>   
>> From: ColombiaSolidarity <colombiasolidarity at riseup.net>
>> Subject: URGENT ACTION! African descent community faces eviction by Anglo Gold Ashanti in Colombia
>> To: kolyaab at yahoo.co..uk
>> Date: Wednesday, 5 August, 2009, 5:33 PM
>>
>>
>>
>>  
>>  
>>
>> African descent community faces eviction by Anglo
>> Gold Ashanti in
>> Colombia
>>
>>  
>>
>>  
>>
>>  
>>
>>  
>>
>>  
>>
>>  
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>  
>>
>>
>>
>> African descent community faces eviction
>> by Anglo Gold Ashanti in
>> Colombia 
>>
>> URGENT
>> ACTION!  
>>
>> From
>> the human rights team of the Process of Black in La Toma,
>> in the Suï¿½rez
>> municipality in north Cauca, Colombia. La Tomaï¿½s
>> Afro-descendant inhabitants
>> have been declarCommunities and other organisations:
>>  
>>
>> 6th
>> August is the date fixed for the eviction of the black
>> community ed ï¿½squatters
>> in bad faithï¿½ in a legal possession order taken out by
>> Raï¿½l Fernando Ruiz
>> Ordoï¿½ez and Jesï¿½s Sarria. Yet the presence of black
>> communities on these lands
>> dates from 1636, since when they have worked small gold
>> mines which is today
>> the only means of subsistence for hundreds of families.
>>  
>>
>> The
>> black communityï¿½s territory in La Toma district consists
>> of 7,000 hectares,
>> some 6,500 hectares of which, including the cemetery, are
>> sought by Anglo Gold
>> Ashanti for exploration purposes. The company has found a
>> fast-track to an
>> immediate start to operations, via two mining concessions
>> together making up
>> 403 hectares. They are concession EKE-151 (314 hectares)
>> held by Raï¿½l Fernando
>> Ruiz Ordoï¿½ez, and concession BFC 021 (99 hectares) held by
>> Hï¿½ctor Jesï¿½s Sarria.
>> Neither of these concession holders are linked with the
>> community, nor have
>> they carried out any mine exploration or exploitation
>> activities. Rather, in
>> the light of the known interest of Anglo Gold Ashanti,
>> these two gentlemen have
>> initiated a legal process of expropriation that will stop
>> the afro-colombian
>> miners from developing the work that they have carried out
>> for generations in
>> this district.  
>>
>> Anglo
>> Gold Ashanti and the Canadian owned company Cosigo Resort
>> have been
>> pressurising to take over other territorios in Suï¿½rez, and
>> the neighbouring
>> municipalities of Buenos Aires and
>>  Santander . None of the
>> moves by these mining corporations respect the the right of
>> the black
>> communities to consulta
>> previa
>> (prior consultation) the guarantee set out in ILO
>> Convention 169, as recognised
>> by Colombiaï¿½s constitution, and elaborated in Law 70
>> passed in 1993.  
>>
>> This
>> is not the first wave of evictions from this region. Back
>> in the 1980s the
>> construction of the nearby La Salvajina dam and reservoir
>> system displaced
>> hundreds of families to the urban slums of Agua Blanca in
>>  Cali and other cities. The environmental,
>> economic, social and cultural impacts of this hydroelectric
>> project have still
>> not been addressed by the operating company CVC
>> (Corporaciï¿½n Autï¿½noma Regional
>> del Valle del Cauca )
>> or the Colombian state. In 1994 the Salvajina project was
>> taken over by Energï¿½a
>> Elï¿½ctrica del Pacifico-EPSA (in turn owned by Spanish
>> multinacional). EPSA
>> tried to divert the Ovejas river that runs by La Toma in
>> order to augment
>> Salvajinaï¿½s gnerating capacity.  
>>
>> Before
>> Salvajina, the afro-colombians native to this region
>> sustained themselves
>> through fishing, agriculture, ferrying and mining; after
>> the damï¿½s construction
>> much of the best farming land was flooded under the
>> reservoir and there were
>> drastic climate changes; both of which led to a crisis in
>> traditional farming.
>> For most of the black community the only remaining means of
>> making a living was
>> through artisanal gold mining. Besides the predicted
>> environmental impacts from
>> the open cast mining that Anglo Gold Ashanti and similiar
>> multinationals want
>> to undertake, this artisanal mining would disappear and the
>> black communities
>> would be displaced entirely from their territories.
>>  
>>
>> In
>> Judgement No 005 of 2009, Colombiaï¿½s Constitutional stated
>> a number of
>> contributing factors tending to cause the displacement of
>> afro-colombians
>> including structural exclusion, the pressures generated by
>> big mining and
>> agriculture, and deficient legal protection for the
>> collective territories of
>> the black communities. The Constitutional Court drew
>> special attention to the
>> situation of the black communities who are the ancestral
>> inhabitants of Buenos
>> Aires and Suï¿½rez as an emblematic case; these communities
>> are a clear and
>> living example of the risks pointed out by the Court of the
>> vulnerability of
>> territorial rights, the loss of social and cultural control
>> by the communities,
>> the violation of their right to prior consultation, and the
>> absence of
>> registration of ancestral territories that even now have
>> not been recognised as
>> collective property.  
>>
>> The
>>  Constitutional Court 
>> ordered that there be effective participation of the
>> communities, and set in
>> motion a plan of monitoring that would take into account
>> the general factors
>> and the specific risks identified in its judgement 005. The
>> Court ordered that
>> the territorial rights of the afro-colombian communities be
>> protected through
>> the design of a plan to be implemented by 30 October 2009,
>> characterising the
>> lands as ancestral territory, of ethnic signficance and
>> part of the patrimony
>> of these communities.  
>>
>> The
>> artisanal gold mines constitute one of the last common
>> goods still conserved by
>> the black communities of northern Cauca . Their
>> eviction from La Toma would be one more link in the
>> historic chain of unjust
>> expropriations that should be blocked by determined action
>> by all the
>> communities.  
>>
>> We
>> call on all afro-colombian organisations, leaders and other
>> social sectors
>> nationally and internationally to take action to demand:
>>  
>>
>> 1.
>> That the Colombian Ministry of Mines and Energy revoke the
>> mining concessions
>> EKE-151 held by Raï¿½l Fernando Ruiz Ordoï¿½ez and BFC 021
>> held by Hï¿½ctor Jesï¿½s
>> Sarria, on the grounds that has not been prior consultation
>> with the black
>> communities living on these territories.
>>
>> 2. That the Ministry of Mines and Energy definitively stop
>> the order to evict
>> the black communities of the Corregimiento (district) La
>> Toma, located in
>> Suï¿½rez municipality in the north of Cauca 
>> department.
>>
>> 3. That the Ministry of the Interior, Justice and Social
>> Action immediately
>> fulfil the the Constitional Court Judgement No 005, by
>> formulating an action
>> plan of attention and protection of these communities,
>> putting in place the
>> measures organised by the Court to protect the territory
>> and the patrimony of
>> the communities.
>>
>> 4. In the case of any process concerning the exploration
>> and exploitation of
>> mining resources, and other projects and political or
>> administrative measures
>> that might affect the black communities, the application of
>> Consultation with
>> Free, Prior and Informed Consent in accord with ILO
>> Convention 169 and the
>> national Constitution.
>>
>> 5. That the Ministry of the Interior adopts measures for
>> the protection of the
>> life and security of community leaders in the region.
>>  
>>
>> With
>> our traditional affirmation of Life, Happiness, Hope and
>> Freedom /
>>
>> Con nuestra tradicional afirmaciï¿½n de Vida y Alegrï¿½a,
>> Esperanza y Libertad  
>>
>> CONSEJO
>> COMUNITARIO DE LA TOMA
>>
>> ASOCIACION DE CONSEJOS COMUNITARIOS DEL NORTE DEL 
>>  CAUCA
>>
>> PALENKE DEL ALTO CAUCA
>>
>>  PALENQUE EL
>> KONGAL
>>
>> CONSEJO COMUNITARIO CUENCA 
>> DEL YURUMANGUI
>>
>> CONSEJO COMUNITARIO CUENCA 
>> DEL MAYORQUIN
>>
>> CONSEJO COMUNITARIO MAYOR CUENCA 
>> DEL ANCHICAYA
>>
>> CONSEJO COMUNITARIO CUENCA 
>> DEL CALIMA
>>
>> CONSEJO COMUNITARIO BAJO MIRA Y FRONTERAS
>>
>> CORPORACION PALENQUE 
>> SIGLO XXI
>>
>> PROCESO DE COMUNIDADES NEGRAS EN
>>  COLOMBIA PCN
>>
>> FEDERACION AGROMINERA DEL SUR DE BOLIVAR
>>
>> CORDINADOR NACIONAL AGRARIO. CNA
>>
>> CORPORACION SEMBRAR
>>
>> ASOCIACIï¿½N NOMADESC  
>>
>> CAMPAï¿½A
>> PROHIBIDO OLVIDAR
>>
>> CED INS
>>
>> PAZ CON DIGNIDAD  
>>
>> RECOMMENDED ACTION /
>> ACCION SOLICITADA
>>
>> Please send to the following emails/ Estos son los correos
>> de los
>>
>> funcionarios que debieran comunicarse
>>
>> Ministro del Interior y de Justicia Fabio
>>  Valencia fabiovalencia at mij.gov.co.
>> This email address is being
>> protected from
>> spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it 
>>
>> Ministro de Minas y Energï¿½a Hernï¿½n Martï¿½nez menergia at minminas.gov.co
>> This email address is being
>> protected from
>> spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it 
>>
>> Direcciï¿½n para asuntos de Comunidades Negras,
>> Afrocolombianas, Palenqueras
>>
>> y Raizal. Rosa Carlina Garcï¿½a drnegrasafroraizalypalem at mij.gov.co
>> This email address is being
>> protected from
>> spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it 
>>
>> Human Rights Director / Direcciï¿½n de derechos Humanos.
>> Rafael Emiro
>>
>> Bustamante dhdirector at mij.gov.co
>> This email address is being
>> protected from
>> spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it 
>>
>> Viceministro de Justicia Miguel Antonio Ceballos Arï¿½valo
>>
>> vicejusticia at mij.gov.co
>> This email address is being
>> protected from
>> spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it 
>>
>> Viceministra del Interior Viviana Manrique Zuluega viceinterior at mij.gov.co
>> This email address is being
>> protected from
>> spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it 
>>
>> Secretaria general Marï¿½a del Pilar Serrano Buendï¿½a sgeneral at mij.gov.co
>> This email address is being
>> protected from
>> spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it 
>>
>> Send copies and for any other information contact / Si se
>> requiere la
>>
>> comunicaciï¿½n favor hacerlo al correo pcnkol_bogota at renacientes.net
>> This email address is being
>> protected from
>> spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
>>  
>>
>> Translated
>> by Colombia
>> Solidarity Campaign.
>> The Campaign adds: please also send a brief message with
>> the above demands to
>> the Colombian Embassy in your country.  
>>
>> ï¿½ACCIï¿½N
>> URGENTE! 
>>
>> El
>> equipo de derechos Humanos del Proceso de Comunidades
>> Negras y demï¿½s
>> organizaciones informamos que:
>>
>>
>>
>> Para el dï¿½a 6 de agosto de 2009, estï¿½ fijado el desalojo
>> de la comunidad negra
>> del corregimiento La Toma en el municipio de Suï¿½rez -
>> Norte del Cauca, sus
>> habitantes han sido declarados poseedores de mala fe por
>> encontrarse explotando
>> un territorio que fue asignado en concesiï¿½n a los seï¿½ores
>> Raï¿½l Fernando Ruiz
>> Ordoï¿½ez y Jesï¿½s Sarria. La presencia de comunidades
>> negras en este territorio
>> data de 1636 y ha estado por siempre ligada a la minerï¿½a
>>  del oro, que es en actualidad el ï¿½nico medio
>> de subsistencia para cientos de familias.
>>  
>>
>> Con
>> la construcciï¿½n por parte de la CVC (Corporaciï¿½n
>> Autï¿½noma Regional del Valle
>> del Cauca) en la dï¿½cada de los 80ï¿½s de la represa de La
>> Salvajina - Ciro Molina
>> Garcï¿½s -, se despojaron de las tierras y se desplazaron
>> cientos de familias de
>> la zona, algunas de ellas hasta el actual distrito de Agua
>> Blanca en Cali y
>> otras ciudades del paï¿½s, con  impactos ambientales,
>> econï¿½micos, sociales y
>> culturales que aï¿½n no han sido mitigados por la empresa
>> dueï¿½a de la
>> hidroelï¿½ctrica ni por el Estado. A partir de 1994 cuando
>> la represa pasï¿½ a
>> manos de la Empresa de Energï¿½a Elï¿½ctrica del Pacifico
>> -EPSA- se pretendiï¿½
>> desviar el rio Ovejas a Salvajina para aumentar la
>> capacidad de generaciï¿½n de
>> energï¿½a de la hidroelï¿½ctrica.  
>>
>> El
>> territorio de la comunidad negra del Corregimiento de La
>> Toma es de 7000
>> hectï¿½reas de las cuales 6500, incluyendo el cementerio,
>> han sido solicitadas
>> para exploraciï¿½n por la Anglo Gold Ashanti. Un camino
>> rï¿½pido para que esta
>> compaï¿½ï¿½a pueda iniciar inmediatamente la explotaciï¿½n es
>> a travï¿½s de las 403
>> hectï¿½reas de las concesiones, con licencias mineras
>> EKE-151 (314 has) de Raï¿½l
>> Fernando Ruiz Ordoï¿½ez y BFC 021 (99 has) de Hï¿½ctor Jesï¿½s
>> Sarria, concesionarios
>> estos que nunca han realizado ninguna actividad de
>> exploraciï¿½n o explotaciï¿½n, y
>> que no son parte ni estï¿½n vinculados de ninguna manera con
>> las comunidades y
>> sus territorios. Dichas personas sï¿½lo ante la inminente
>> compra de sus licencias
>> por parte de la multinacional han iniciado un proceso de
>> expropiaciï¿½n que busca
>> impedir que los mineros afrocolombianos sigan desarrollando
>> la explotaciï¿½n que
>> de generaciï¿½n en generaciï¿½n ha mantenido vivo este
>> corregimiento.  
>>
>> Esta
>> misma situaciï¿½n de presiï¿½n por parte de las empresas
>> mineras, entre ellas la
>> Anglo Gold Ashanti y Cosigo Resort, se presenta en todos
>> los territorios de los
>> municipios de Suï¿½rez, Buenos Aires y
>> Santander. 
>>
>> Ninguno
>> de los tramites mineros que se han adelantado o se adelanta
>> en esta zona ha
>> respetado el derecho a la Consulta Previa que tanto la
>> Constituciï¿½n Nacional,
>> la Ley 70 de 1993 y el convenio 169 de la OIT reconocen y
>> garantizan a la
>> comunidad negra en Colombia. 
>>
>> Antes
>> de La Salvajina, los afrocolombianos nativos de esta zona
>> se sostenï¿½an con la
>> pesca, la agricultura, la balserï¿½a y la minerï¿½a, despuï¿½s
>> de la construcciï¿½n de
>> esta represa muchas de las mejores tierras agrï¿½colas y de
>> las mejores fincas
>> quedaron sepultadas por el embalse, hubo drï¿½sticos cambios
>> climï¿½ticos que
>> llevaron a la crisis de las fincas tradicionales. Para 
>> muchos de los que permanecen y resisten en el territorio la
>> explotaciï¿½n minera
>> artesanal es una alternativa, y en muchos casos la ï¿½nica
>> posibilidad de
>> sustento econï¿½mico. Ademï¿½s de los impactos ambientales,
>> sociales y culturales
>> que las explotaciones que pretenden adelantar compaï¿½ï¿½as
>>  como la Anglo Gold Ashanti, la minerï¿½a
>> artesanal desaparecerï¿½a y las comunidades negras serian
>> desplazadas de sus
>> territorios.  
>>
>> En
>> el auto 005 del 2009, la Corte Constitucional seï¿½alï¿½ como
>> factores
>> transversales que inciden en el desplazamiento de los
>> afrocolombianos la
>> exclusiï¿½n estructural, las presiones generadas por proceso
>> mineros y agrï¿½colas,
>> y la deficiente protecciï¿½n jurï¿½dica de los territorios
>> colectivos de las
>> comunidades negras. En este contexto la Corte
>> Constitucional conociï¿½ la
>> situaciï¿½n de las comunidades negras  ancestralmente
>> habitantes de los
>> territorios de los municipios de Buenos Aires y Suï¿½rez
>> como caso emblemï¿½tico;
>> estas comunidades son un claro y viviente ejemplo de los
>> riesgos seï¿½alados por
>> la Corte Constitucional sobre la vulneraciï¿½n de los
>> derechos territoriales, de
>> la pï¿½rdida de control social y cultural por parte de las
>> comunidades, violaciï¿½n
>> de la
>>
>> consulta previa, y de la falta de titulaciï¿½nde territorios
>> ancestrales que aï¿½n
>> no han sido reconocidos como territorios colectivos.
>>  
>>
>> La
>> Corte Constitucional ordenï¿½ el diseï¿½o con participaciï¿½n
>> efectiva y puesta en
>> marcha de un plan de protecciï¿½n y atenciï¿½n de las
>> comunidades teniendo en
>> cuenta los factores transversales y los riesgos
>> especï¿½ficos identificados por
>> el auto 005. Igualmente, se ordenï¿½ la protecciï¿½n de los
>> derechos territoriales
>> de las comunidades afrocolombianas, el diseï¿½o e
>> implementaciï¿½n de un plan de
>> caracterizaciï¿½n de este territorio ancestral, y la puesta
>> en marcha a mï¿½s
>> tardar el 30 de octubre de la ruta ï¿½tnica de protecciï¿½n
>> de tierras y patrimonio
>> de estas comunidades.  
>>
>> Las
>> minas de oro constituyen uno de los ï¿½ltimos patrimonios
>> que aï¿½n conservan las
>> comunidades negras del norte del Cauca, su desalojo de La
>> Toma constituye un
>> hecho mï¿½s en cadena de la injusta expropiaciï¿½n histï¿½rica
>> a las comunidades
>> negras que debe ser detenido con la acciï¿½n decidida de
>> todas las comunidades.  
>>
>> Llamamos
>> a todas las organizaciones, lï¿½deres afrocolombianos y
>> demï¿½s sectores sociales a
>> nivel nacional e internacional a adelantar acciones de
>> presiï¿½n para:
>>
>>
>>
>> 1. Que el Ministerio de Minas y Energï¿½a revoque las
>> licencias mineras EKE-151
>> (314 has) de Raï¿½l Fernando Ruiz Ordoï¿½ez y BFC 021 (99
>> has) de Hï¿½ctor Jesï¿½s Sarria,
>> por no haber surtido el trï¿½mite de consulta previa con las
>> comunidades negras
>> que habitan este territorio.  
>>
>> 2.
>> Que el Ministerio de Minas y Energï¿½a detenga
>> definitivamente la orden de
>> desalojo de las comunidades negras del 
>> Corregimiento de La Toma, municipio de Suï¿½rez en el norte
>> del 
>> departamento del Cauca .
>>  
>>
>> 3.
>> Que el Ministerio del Interior y de Justicia y Acciï¿½n
>> Social cumplan
>> inmediatamente con lo dispuesto en el auto 005 a fin de
>> formular el Plan de
>> protecciï¿½n y atenciï¿½n a estas comunidades, la
>> caracterizaciï¿½n del territorio y
>> la puesta en marcha de las medidas tambiï¿½n ordenadas por
>> la Corte
>> Constitucional para protecciï¿½n del territorio y el
>> patrimonio de las
>> comunidades.  
>>
>> 4.
>> La aplicaciï¿½n en el caso de la expediciï¿½n para la
>> exploraciï¿½n y explotaciï¿½n de
>> recursos mineros, y demï¿½s proyectos y medidas polï¿½ticas o
>> administrativas que
>> pudieran afectar a las comunidades negras de la Consulta
>> con Consentimiento
>> Previo, Libre e Informado de acuerdo con lo dispuesto por
>> el Convenio 169 de la
>> OIT, la Constituciï¿½n Nacional. 
>>
>> 5.
>> Que el Ministerio del 
>> Interior adopte las medidas para la protecciï¿½n de la vida
>> y la seguridad de los
>> lï¿½deres comunitarios de la zona.  
>>
>>
>>   
>>
>>
>>
>>  
>>
>>
>>
>>     
>
>
>       
>
>   

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://mailman.gn.apc.org/mailman/private/diggers350/attachments/20090805/36ca7878/attachment.html>