"Communities don't matter": Colombia's former mining association head
“Communities don’t matter”: Colombia’s former mining association head
by Mathew Di Salvo April 24, 2019
The former head of Colombia’s mining association ACM and CEO of gold mining firm Minesa has been caught on video saying that “communities don’t matter” for decision makers in Bogota to approve mining projects.
In a leaked video, Minesa CEO Santiago Urdinola said that widespread protests against the development of the country’s largest underground gold mine can easily be countered by black propaganda.
Minesa, which is largely owned by the United Arab Emirates, wants to mine for gold in the Santurban region, but is fiercely opposed in the region because the paramo supplies the drinking water in the Santander province and is largely a nature reserve.
But these local protests are irrelevant as long as the mining company is able to blame the protests on Senator Gustavo Petro, one of President Ivan Duque‘s most vociferous opponents in Congress.
More:
https://colombiareports.com/communities-dont-matter-colombias-former-mining-association-head/