Loma Larga mine protest closes Pan American highway and leaders say it’s ‘just the beginning’

The Pan American highway south of Cuenca reopened Tuesday night following a day-long closure by protesters of the proposed Loma Larga gold mine. Residents near the mine’s location in Kimsacocha were joined by leaders of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) and the Yasunidos Environmental Collective in barricading the highway at the “Y” intersection in Tarqui.

Hundreds of vehicles were stranded for hours Tuesday as protesters blocked the Pan American highway at Tarqui.

In a statement, “The Defense of Water Collective” gave the government a September 16 deadline to permanently suspend all activity at Loma Larga, operated by the Canadian mining company Dundee Preciuos Metals. “If this is not accomplished, we will resume our activities and close the highway indefinitely,” the statement said.

Speaking to protesters, Conaie President Marlon Vargas claimed that the environmental permit granted to Dundee by the government was a “fraud” and that residents were not consulted about the project as required by law. “They knew this would pollute the water but they ignored the evidence in granting the license,” he said. “They also ignored the right of the people to participate in the decision to allow mining as required by the constitution.”

Vargas added that if the government does not reverse its approval of Loma Larga, the protest could spread beyond Cuenca. “This is a symbol of the larger issue of mining in Ecuador,” he said. “This is not just a matter for Cuenca, it is one for the entire country. What we are doing today is only the beginning.”

David Fajardo of the Yasunidos Collective agreed with Vargas, claiming the approval process for Loma Larga lacked transparency. “The questions of environmental and social management of the project were never answered and this appears to be intentional,” he said. He read part of a formal complaint Yasunidos is presenting to the Values Commission of Ontario (Canada) against Dundee.

Police made two attempts to clear the highway during the protest to allow hundreds of stranded vehicles to pass, but backed off as additional roadblocks were established.