\n<\/p>\n
A<\/span>rgiro Tob\u00f3n, 60, rolls up his sleeves above hands covered in fresh earth. Before him lie the green pastures of Jeric\u00f3, Colombia, a landscape cultivated by hands like his for generations. \u201cLook at the beauty of this place,\u201d says Tob\u00f3n, fondly known as \u201cMister\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the paradise they want to destroy,\u201d he says. \u201cIf we have to go to prison, so be it.\u201d<\/p>\n Tob\u00f3n, who has spent years harvesting coffee beans, is among 11 local farmers and environmental activists facing a lawsuit initiated by the South African mining company AngloGold Ashanti.<\/p>\n Accused of kidnapping, theft and personal injury, they were charged after a series of protests against the company\u2019s proposed Quebradona copper mine, which activists believe poses a serious threat to the environment and agrarian economy.<\/p>\n <\/span>A view over the River Cauca from Jeric\u00f3. Experts and residents say drilling could deplete Jeric\u00f3\u2019s water sources, cutting off the freshwater springs that supply the region\u2019s farms and drinking water<\/span><\/p>\n The conflict between the company and regional communities has been escalating since the end of 2023. The kidnapping charge stems from an incident that year, when a group of protesters disrupted an unauthorised excavation by AngloGold, contacting the mayor\u2019s office, police and local ombudsman, and stopping the miners working.<\/p>\n A similar incident in 2023 involved more than 150 farmers entering private land where AngloGold was drilling, removing machinery and handing it over to the authorities. This led to charges of theft and later of personal injury, after a miner was bitten by a farmer\u2019s dog.<\/p>\n There are very serious concerns about potential water contamination, waste generation and the release of toxic metalsMiguel \u00c1ngel C\u00e1ceres, geologist <\/p>\n Quebradona is mainly a copper mine that also has notable gold and silver deposits. Marketed as a long-lasting, high-grade and low-cost underground operation, it aims to become Colombia\u2019s largest copper mine, boosting the regional economy, creating a large number of jobs and enhancing infrastructure.<\/p>\n The company\u2019s target is to produce about 1.4m tonnes of copper, 1.4m ounces of gold and 21.6m ounces of silver over more than 20 years.<\/p>\n The drilling planned for the project would extend beneath a landscape rich in biodiversity, with 232 species of birds and 59 mammal species recorded. The fertile soil forms the economic backbone of a region that is among Colombia\u2019s top coffee-producing areas.<\/p>\n Yet, for many, Quebradona\u2019s promised yield does little to offset the project\u2019s potential effect on the ecosystem.<\/p>\n <\/span>Coffee beans are spread out to dry in the sun. The farmers around Jeric\u00f3 are among the country\u2019s leading producers of coffee<\/span><\/p>\n Miguel \u00c1ngel C\u00e1ceres, a geologist who works for Terrae, an environmental monitoring organisation tasked with an independent review of AngloGold\u2019s impact evaluation, says: \u201cThere are very serious concerns about potential water contamination caused by the project, the generation of waste sands and the release of toxic metals.\u201d<\/p>\n C\u00e1ceres raises concerns about the company\u2019s existing environmental impact studies, claiming AngloGold\u2019s attempts to minimise the risks of the Quebradona project are dishonest.<\/p>\n \u201cThey claim there are no underground water sources in Jeric\u00f3, which is a lie,\u201d he says. \u201cThey also claim there are impermeable boundaries in the area that will contain the impact of the mine to a single point, which is also untrue.\u201d<\/p>\n They are trying to intimidate people through criminal proceedings to delegitimise protests and discourage actionAna Mar\u00eda Gallega Pati\u00f1o, lawyer<\/p>\n According to C\u00e1ceres and hundreds of residents who have protested against the mine, drilling could deplete Jeric\u00f3\u2019s natural sources of groundwater, cutting off the freshwater springs that supply the region\u2019s wildlife, agriculture and drinking water.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are at risk,\u201d says Rubiel Dar\u00edo Arango, 46, a farmer from the community of Palocabildo. \u201cHow will our parents and families live if the water is not protected?\u201d<\/p>\n The farmers also allege that the legal charges levelled against them are \u201cdisproportionate\u201d and \u201cout of context\u201d and that AngloGold intends to silence those who oppose the Quebradona project.<\/p>\n Ana Mar\u00eda Gallega Pati\u00f1o, one of the lawyers defending the activists, says: \u201cThis is an exercise in intimidation. They are trying to intimidate people through criminal proceedings to delegitimise the protests and discourage further action.\u201d<\/p>\n Protesters presume that, with its exploration licence set to expire in December, AngloGold is growing increasingly desperate to get permission to mine with an exploitation licence from Colombia\u2019s National Authority for Environmental Licences (ANLA). A previous application was suspended in 2021 due to a lack of data.<\/p>\n <\/span>Rubiel Dar\u00edo Arango, a peasant farmer from Palocabildo who is one of the 11 facing prosecution, at the 38th day of a roadside protest against AngloGold\u2019s mining plans<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf people don\u2019t go out to protest, the company can more easily carry out their exploration,\u201d says Gallega Pati\u00f1o.<\/p>\n In a five-page statement, AngloGold Ashanti asserts that the Quebradona copper project in Jeric\u00f3 is in the exploration phase and fully compliant with Colombian law, declaring that no aquifers are present and that scientific studies indicate groundwater and surface water would not be affected. The company also says the project does not overlap with prohibited zones.<\/p>\n The company says that it respects peaceful demonstrations and denies engaging in illegal exploration, alleging that the protests involved acts that disrupted public order, caused property damage and interfered with its mining operations.<\/p>\n It also emphasises its efforts to engage the community, along with plans for a revised environmental impact study, which includes 42 piezometers to monitor groundwater and states its responsibility to protect resources and improve its operations.<\/p>\n T<\/span>oday, CCTV cameras peer down from tall trees that line the perimeter of the prospective mine. The gate bristles with signs that read \u201cPrivate property\u201d and \u201cYou are being filmed\u201d. Protesters are facing not only a backlash from AngloGold but also opposition from within their communities.<\/p>\n <\/span>Ariel Humberto Vel\u00e1squez, a peasant farmer who grows coffee in Jeric\u00f3, after working in his fields<\/span><\/p>\n Fernando Jaramillo, leader of the Environmental Table of Jeric\u00f3, sips a black coffee in the town\u2019s central square.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a town that conserves its architecture, traditions, religion, politics and calm way of life. All of this is beginning to fracture,\u201d says Jaramillo, an outspoken critic of AngloGold, who has seen how the company\u2019s arrival has divided the community.<\/p>\n \u201cA person who supports the company could attack any one of us. I was stabbed right here,\u201d he says, referring to Jeric\u00f3\u2019s main square.<\/p>\n Tob\u00f3n agrees. While tensions rarely erupt into violence, the mining project has frayed the social fabric of a once tightly knit community, he says.<\/p>\n \u201cFamilies are divided, siblings against siblings, children against parents,\u201d Tob\u00f3n says, adding that his own family was divided, with his sister supporting the mine.<\/p>\n Jhon Jairo Henao, a former councillor and spokesperson for Jericoanos con Visi\u00f3n, a local group supporting the Quebradona project, says he and his colleagues face insults from anti-mine protesters, who call them sellouts.<\/p>\n <\/span>Protesters gather outside the court for a preliminary hearing. There were cheers and applause when a judge ruled the defendants would not have to be held under house arrest during the trial<\/span><\/p>\n Henao sees the project as an opportunity to create jobs and attract much-needed investment.<\/p>\n \u201cIf this project were to become a mine, it could generate around 35bn pesos [\u00a36.5m] annually for Jeric\u00f3 through royalties, not including what it would generate through taxes, which would earn over 3bn pesos annually,\u201d he says, arguing that the majority of Jeric\u00f3\u2019s inhabitants are behind the mining project.<\/p>\n AngloGold has invested heavily in Jeric\u00f3, funding educational and environmental initiatives that have helped shift many residents in favour of the project. Others have benefited financially from leasing their land to the company for mining exploration.<\/p>\n <\/span>Argiro Tob\u00f3n, right, is one of the 11 activists accused of kidnapping and personal injury. They are adamant that the charges are fabricated and AngloGold is trying to intimidate protesters<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere are some people who are in favour of the mine. More than anything, this is largely due to the power of money. Money buys consciences,\u201d says Rodolfo Tob\u00f3n, another of the 11 farmers facing prosecution.<\/p>\n So far, AngloGold continues its legal actions against the protesters. On 16 June, Argiro Tob\u00f3n and his companions left the Jeric\u00f3 court to cheers and applause from a crowd after a judge ruled they would not be placed under house arrest during the trial.<\/p>\n Despite this initial victory, a long road lies ahead for the accused farmers. With the full extent of the legal process yet to come, their fate, and that of the land they have worked for decades, remains undecided.<\/p>\n \u201cGoliath was never strong enough to defeat David,\u201d Porfirio Garc\u00e9s, another of the 11, says into a microphone the day after the hearing.<\/p>\n At 86 years old, he is the oldest of the accused. \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ll live in peace until AngloGold is gone.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Argiro Tob\u00f3n, 60, rolls up his sleeves above hands covered in fresh earth. Before him lie the green pastures of Jeric\u00f3, Colombia, a landscape cultivated by hands like his for generations. \u201cLook at the beauty of this place,\u201d says Tob\u00f3n, fondly known as \u201cMister\u201d. \u201cThis is the paradise they want to destroy,\u201d he says. \u201cIf<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11821,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[5313,918,5316,2932,1870,1123,5318,5319,5314,480,5315,2515,1524,5317],"class_list":{"0":"post-11820","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-crime-justice","8":"tag-charges","9":"tag-development","10":"tag-distrust","11":"tag-families","12":"tag-giant","13":"tag-global","14":"tag-hills","15":"tag-jerico","16":"tag-kidnap","17":"tag-plans","18":"tag-sown","19":"tag-theft","20":"tag-torn","21":"tag-unrest"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11820"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11820\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}