Unanimous and irrevocable statement of Rejection of Megamining in the sacred mountain of Mocoa and the ancestral territories of the 15 Indigenous peoples of Putumayo

The Traditional Authorities and representatives of the fifteen Indigenous peoples of Putumayo firmly and with dignity raise our ancestral voice to express our absolute rejection of the copper mining project promoted by the Copper Giant Resources Corp. (Libero Cobre), which threatens the mountains of Mocoa and the sacred watersheds of the territory, covering more than 11, 000 hectares, where it intends to introduce large-scale mining disguised as medium-scale mining in a highly fragile ecosystem.

There can be no energy transition or real sustainability if it is based on the destruction of sacred territories. The territory is a living being, not a commodity. Sacred sites such as Binÿió Tjañ, Tangua Shatjó Benách Tjañ, and Iaku Wuasi are more than geography: they are living weavings of our cosmovision, guardians of the planet's balance. To destroy them through mining is an irreparable violation of our cultural, spiritual, and collective rights, and an offense to life itself, to our Law of Origin, Higher Law and Own Law, and the Word of Life. This model of development ignores our way of life based on Buen Vivir, Living Well (Sumak Kawsay, Alli Kawsay), in balance with Mother Earth.

Protected by Article 7 of the Political Constitution, ILO Convention 169, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Escazú Agreement, Decree 1275 of 2024, and Decree 488 of 2025, we urge the President of the Republic, Gustavo Petro, the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Lena Estrada, and the relevant environmental entities to comply with the demands of the Original Peoples, as their protection is a moral and ecological debt owed by the Colombian State and the international community.

Our call is in accordance with the Millennium Mandate for the Protection of TERRITORY, WATER, AND LIFE.

WE DEMAND:
The immediate expiration of mining titles on ancestral territory; the express prohibition of licenses and permits for metal mining in the mountains of Mocoa and Putumayo; the legal recognition of the Indigenous Mandates that declare these territories free of mining, with full state validity; the declaration of the sacred mountains of Mocoa and the upper Mocoa River basin as subjects of rights; support for alternative ways of life such as agroecology, community tourism, non-timber forestry, and the strengthening of our life plans; in compliance with the Escazú Agreement, full comprehensive protection for the Authorities, women, and leaders who defend the territory.

From the heart of the Amazon, we also call on all of humanity to defend this territory. To permit extractive projects moving forward is to permit the disappearance of the forest, rivers, and sacred mountains. Humanity as a whole loses a spiritual and vital lung of the planet. This is not just an Indigenous struggle: it is an ethical and urgent call for the survival of life on Earth.
 

May 2025.
 

OUR WORD IS NOT A PROTEST, IT IS AN ANCESTRAL MANDATE. WE WILL NOT
GIVE IN. WE DEFEND WHAT IS SACRED.
 

Signed:
Inga People, Kamëntša People, Cofán (A'i) People, Siona (Zió Bain) People, Murui (Huitoto) People, Korebaju (Coreguaje) People, Kichwa People, Nasa People, Misak (Guambiano) People, Embera People, Awá People, Pastos People, Quillasinga People, Pijao People, Yanacona People 

Indigenous organizations:
Permanent Table for Indigenous Consultation in Putumayo - MPC, Association of Indigenous Women La Chagra de la Vida - ASOMI, Union of Indigenous Yageceros Doctors of the Colombian Amazon - UMIYAC, Indigenous Organization of Putumayo OZIP, Atún Wasi Iuiai of the Inga People of Colombia - AWAI, and Minga de Resistencia, with the support of the National Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon - OPIAC.

Defending the territory is defending life!