On October 12, PBI-Guatemala posted: “Today PBI accompanied Olopa communities in a ceremony for Indigenous Resistance.”

The municipality of Olopa is situated about 200 kilometres east of Guatemala City in the department of Chiquimula.

PBI-Guatemala accompanies the New Day Ch’orti’ Campesino Central Coordinator (CCCND) which in turn accompanies the Peaceful Resistance to the Cantera Los Manantiales mine in Olopa. The land on which this extractive project was to be carried out is in the village of El Carrizal in Olopa.

The licence was granted without having carried out a free, prior and informed consultation with the affected Ch’orti’ communities.

The communities soon realized that the antimony extraction was causing a series of negative impacts on the water and the environment.

On February 25, 2019, community members from the municipality of La Prensa and members of CCCND declared themselves to be in a Permanent Assembly and installed a peaceful camp at the entrance of the mine.

The La Prensa camp is active 24 hours a day, Monday through Sunday. On April 8, 2019, a second sit-in was formed at the other entrance to the mine, near the El Carrizal community.

The most recent PBI-Guatemala Monthly Information Package notes: “As in previous months, we maintain regular telephone contact with members from the Olopa and Quezaltepeque communities.”

PBI-Guatemala has accompanied the CCCND since 2009.

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    Guatemala