By Robin Llewellyn / Intercontinental Cry Children of the Wounaan People easily find diversion in the abandoned basketball stadium of Buenaventura, the largest city on Colombia’s Pacific coast. Some chase pigeons that try to settle around the highest rows of seats, casually resting to look out over the surrounding rooftops to the islands of mangrove and forest … Continue reading Interviews with displaced members of Colombia’s Wounaan Peoples→
By Andrew Wight & Taran Volckhausen / Colombia Reports Colombia’s second largest rebel group the ELN detonated explosives Wednesday at four crude oil holding pools along the Caño Limon – Coveñas pipeline in the state of North Santander. A large blaze caused by the attacks created panic in the local population, who were forced to … Continue reading ELN launches attack against oil pipeline infrastructure in Colombia→
By Jorge Barrera / APTN A Colombia guerilla group is trying to draw Ottawa into its battle with a Toronto-based mining company which is quietly trying to secure the release of one of its executives who has been held hostage since January. The Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional (ELN) kidnapped Gernot Wober, 47, on Jan. 18, … Continue reading ELN guerrillas kidnap mining executive, demand end to mining concessions→
By Colombia Informa; translation by Molly Fohn After two weeks of peaceful protesting against oil exploitation in Arauca, on February 12 that department’s social organizations began a strike announced a few days earlier as a response to the repeated broken promises by the national government and transnational companies. The last attempt at dialogue took place … Continue reading 1,200 riot police attack peaceful indigenous protesters in Colombia→
By Amnesty International Human rights defenders across the Americas are facing escalating levels of intimidation, harassment and attacks at the hands of state security forces, paramilitary groups and organized crime, Amnesty International said in a new report today. The report Transforming pain into hope: Human rights defenders in the Americas, is based on around 300 … Continue reading Campaign of terror escalating against human rights defenders in the Americas→
By Mongabay Colombia’s move last week to begin granting new mining concessions across 17.6 million hectares has raised concerns about the potential environmental impacts of a new mining boom across the country. Colombia’s rich mineral deposits have long been eyed by investors, but civil conflict limited extraction to secure areas until the early to mid … Continue reading Colombian government opening 38,000 square miles to mining projects→
By Survival International A 74-year-old Nasa Indian leader has been shot dead following protests against the militarization of his land in Cauca, south-west Colombia. Lisandro Tenorio, a traditional healer, was at home with his family when two unidentified men arrived, shook his hand, and shot him three times in the head. The Nasa made international … Continue reading Nasa Indian elder assassinated by FARC militants in Colombia→
The struggle for the world’s remaining natural resources is becoming more murderous, according to a new report that reveals that environmental activists were killed at the rate of one a week in 2011. The death toll of campaigners, community leaders and journalists involved in the protection of forests, rivers and land has risen dramatically in … Continue reading Environmental activists being murdered at rate of one a week→
By Paulina Abramovich / Agence France-Presse A new gold rush is sweeping through Latin America with devastating consequences, ravaging tropical forests and dumping toxic chemicals as illegal miners fight against big international projects. With international market prices for metals high, informal “wildcat” mining has been on the rise in recent years in countries like Bolivia, … Continue reading Murders, child slavery, and deforestation rampant in Amazonia as gold rush devastates region→
By Dawn Paley / The Dominion The hard fought battle against the Keystone XL pipeline, which was slated to carry tar sands crude across Canada and the United States to port in Texas, kicked struggles against Canadian-owned oil and gas companies up to a new level. Resistance dominated headlines in Canada, while rural folk, Indigenous … Continue reading While media focuses on Keystone XL, Canadian energy companies make a killing in Latin America→
