Anti-mining protest in Ecuador seeks to halt Curipamba consultation

An anti-mining protest was carried out in Bolívar department in central Ecuador on Friday, leading to various arrests and injuries after police and demonstrators clashed.

The protests were aimed against an environmental consultation currently being carried out by the environment ministry in the area surrounding the Curipamba copper-gold project, majority owned by Canadian firm Adventus Mining Corporation with Salazar Resources.

The environmental consultation, necessary step to obtain an environmental permit, consists of publicizing the project among the local community, which must be informed about its expected impacts in the short, medium and long term, enabling residents of the area of influence to express their opinions, although they do not have the right to veto the development.

The so-called national anti-mining front and Conaie, the country's largest organization representing indigenous peoples, said that 10 protesters were injured, while three police officers were also reported to have been hurt.

The police claimed that protesters armed with sticks, stones, Molotov cocktails, homemade shotguns, catapults and other weapons attacked an information booth of the environment ministry set up outside a police post in the town of Las Naves, around 100km southwest of capital Quito, to disseminate the consultation.

Stevie Gamboa, a lawyer specialized in mining law, told BNamericas that the officials carrying out the consultation were provided with protection from the military and police in anticipation of possible violence.

"I've spoken with authorities and members of the company and we've confirmed that the attack on the police facilities was premeditated and carried out by people and organizations from outside the community who are very active on social media, but do not have any legal organization," said Gamboa.

The lawyer claimed that one of the protesters detained said he was hired to carry out the acts of vandalism, adding that the violence may be aimed at keeping the local community uninformed and preventing them from debunking lies told about mining and the Curipamba project.

On social media, Conaie demanded that the constitutional court suspend the presidential decree that regulated the environmental consultation to unlock projects in various sectors that have been halted due to the lack of an environmental permit, including several mining initiatives.

However, Gamboa said the court cannot suspend the decree to stop an activity because, in addition to the fact that the regulations are in line with the parameters established by the court itself, it is essential to obtain permits for hundreds of projects in different sectors.

The indigenous sectors are looking to gain political capital in the runup to Ecuador's presidential and legislative elections on August 20 election by stopping the environmental consultation process, making themselves more visible and obtaining funds, so further acts of violence may still be seen, the lawyer suggested.

However, he added that the environment ministry has the necessary tools and powers to complete the environmental consultation process before President Guillermo Lasso's government hands over power to the new administration in October or November.

It is estimated that the consultation for Curipamba could take around 100 days and would be wrapped up in September.

Adventus and Salazar expect to obtain the environmental license and begin construction of the US$250mn mine in the last quarter of the year.