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The meeting was chaired by the municipal mayor and was attended by the majority of the Community Development Councils (Cocodes) that represent the sixteen neighborhoods, six villages and one hamlet that make up the municipality.
Also present were representatives of the National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP), Fundaeco, the Justice of the Peace, and the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (MARN).
According to the representatives of the community mayors and the municipal corporation, this place is protected because of its biodiversity, as it is home to many endangered species. In addition, the mining project could affect the water sources, as the authorities stated at the meeting.
“We don't agree with this company, and it's not the first time we've clashed with them. The last time they wanted to build an eco-hotel on the mountain and because they damaged underground water sources, we all got red water. Now, they're planning an operation they're going to wipe out the water sources and all the living things that live off of them,” said one community member who feels affected.
Arrival of Solway Investment Group (Swiss company)
The mining company that is threatening to set up mining operations and causing concern among the communities is Río Nickel, S.A., a subsidiary of Central America Nickel (CAN), a company registered in Canada and linked to Solway Investment Group, the Swiss-based mining company that is seeking to resume mining operations in the municipality of El Estor and other municipalities in Alta Verapaz.
Solway, which has been operating in Guatemala since 2011, is the owner [through its subsidiary Fenix Nickel Company in the USA] of the Compañía Guatemalteca de Níquel (CGN) and Compañía Procesadora de Níquel de Izabal (Pronico), a company that was sanctioned by the United States for its illegal operations in Guatemala in 2022.
The Sierra de Santa Cruz is located north of Lake Izabal, crossing the departments of Alta Verapaz, Izabal and Petén. According to the Foundation for Eco-development and Conservation (Fundaeco), the sierra covers an area of 64,320 hectares, most of which is located in the municipality of Livingston.
Community authorities claim that company representatives have visited Cerro 1,019 (one thousand and nineteen), located in the Sahilá community, on several occasions. According to community members, Cerro 1,019 is a forested area inhabited by a diversity of species and has 17 rivers from which families obtain their water supply.
Carlos Rodas, MARN delegate in Izabal, claims to be unaware of any exploration in the area, but says he knows of the company Río Nickel, S.A. [Central America Nickel] which is looking for mining exploration in Quiché.
“In the investigations I have carried out within the MARN delegation, there is no company that has initiated its permit applications for this area with the exception of the company [Solway Investment Group] that exists in El Estor, but I do know about this company and what I know is that it is applying for permission to explore in an area of Quiché,” Rodas said in his speech to the Cocodes and the municipal authority.
Although Rodas said he was unaware of the possible exploration and exploitation license, he promised the community authorities that he would pass on any information to the municipal office.
Position of the authorities
At the meeting, Leonel Pérez from the “Sahilá” community and Apolonio Pérez from the “Cerro 1,019” community said that there are 54 communities that feel affected by the possible exploration in the area, the majority are Q'eqchi' indigenous people who make use of the natural resources and are mainly dedicated to the cultivation of corn, beans, rice and chili.
“We as human beings must not allow a foreign company to enter our lands, because it would contaminate our rivers, therefore, we categorically reject these licenses. Furthermore, the government cannot allow a company to enter the community without any permission,” said the community members.
The municipal mayor, Enrique Xol, assured that he is on the side of the community and that he would not allow a mining company to contaminate the municipality's natural resources.
“We, as the Municipal Council, are not on the side of any mining company. We will always agree with the communities, and our objective is to defend what little we have left, such as our natural resources,” said the mayor.
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