Quito, March 23.- The president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie), Leónidas Iza, reiterated that they will continue to defend the territories threatened by mining activity.
Iza stressed the rejection of the indigenous movement in the face of President Daniel Noboa's attack to benefit his family and his economic group, he said.
The leader of Conaie also warned that they are going to make a decision about uprisings and mobilizations in the territories.
We are going to defend our territories, and we hope that the national government listens to our demands. The only thing we are asking is respect for those territories that have said no to mining, he warned.
Iza's statements took place this afternoon during a meeting held by Conaie, the National Anti-Mining Front and other organizations to define a strategy against extractive activity in this South American nation.
The meeting took place while the communities of Palo Quemado and Las Pampas, in the Sigchos canton, Cotopaxi province, resist attempts to implement the La Plata mining project there.
Men and women, young people and older adults, marched this Thursday in Palo Quemado with posters and slogans in opposition to extractive activity, in particular against the exploitation of the area by the Canadian company Atico Mining to which they want to concession the area.
The protesters asked for an immediate end to the repression by the police and military, which has left several people injured.
The Anti-Mining Front revealed the use of real war material by law enforcement forces.
Earlier, social organizations, environmental movements, analysts and indigenous communities rejected the sentence against six nature defenders in the town of Las Naves, in the Ecuadorian province of Bolívar.
The six farmers were sentenced to three years in prison and to pay a 10-salary fine for an alleged illicit association by the Curimining mining company.
It is the grotesque manipulation of justice in favor of international companies that devastate our territory and send social leaders who defend their people to prison! Let the Prosecutor's Office uncover this rottenness of judges as well, the sociologist and political analyst, Hernan Reyes, denounced through his social network X.
For its part, the Ecological Action collective warned that since 2006 the Curimining mining company has been carrying out inspection activities in these territories and during that time there have been multiple conflicts between the company and local communities due to the lack of environmental consultations.
Acción Ecológica also warned that there is currently a merger between the companies Adventus Mining and Luminex Resources, both of Canadian origin, to create a combined company and exploit the El Domo copper and gold deposit located in the community of Las Naves. (Text and photo: PL)
