Court orders Colombia to save river from mining. These images should show why

written by Stephen Gill May 3, 2017



Colombia’s constitutional court demanded on Tuesday that the government take immediate measures to save the country’s main river in the west from being destroyed by illegal armed groups’ gold mining operations.

The river, which stretches through the troubled Choco province is off-limits to legal mining because of its unique ecosystems, but has been disputed by illegal armed groups like the ELN and the AGC, who frequently clash over territorial and economic control in the gold-rich region.

Court to government: Define policy

The decision, which was made in November but only made public by El Tiempo newspaper on Tuesday, the court urged the government to “build a public policy of mining and energy that takes into account the environmental and social realities of the nation.”

Mining has been a major policy priority for the government’s since the 1990 already. However, Bogota has been infamous of denying social or environmental realities in the country.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/court-orders-colombia-save-river-mining-images-show/