Wampis Nation achieves key commitments with Peruvian State to stop illegal mining in Kanus and awaits their fulfilment
Authorities of the Autonomous Territorial Government of the Wampis Nation (GTANW) and a high-level commission of the Peruvian state reached agreements to bring to justice nine people detained by the GTANW for facilitating illegal mining, the elaboration of a plan to eradicate illegal mining in the Wampis territory, and the implementation of a multi-sectoral initiative to promote sustainable economic initiatives to strengthen the Wampis communities in the face of the mining threat. They are currently waiting for the Peruvian state to fulfil its commitments.
In recent years, and despite the best efforts of GTANW and the Wampis Nation, there has been a very aggressive expansion of illegal mining: since October 2023, at least 30 dredges have been installed for alluvial gold mining in the lower, middle and upper Kanús River (also known as the Santiago River), causing serious damage to the territory, the environment, and the well-being and fundamental rights of the Wampis Nation and its members.
This has occurred in a context marked by record high gold prices and where the Peruvian state has failed to ensure effective protection of the Wampis territory and has granted mining concessions on their lands without their free, prior and informed consent. Furthermore, the state has failed to control the collateral effects of the interdictions carried out to combat illegal mining in the Cenepa basin.
Of all the provinces in the department of Amazonas, the province of Condorcanqui has the highest concentration of illegal mining activity, in the sectors of Alto Comainas (El Tambo, on the border with Ecuador), Cenepa River and Kanús River. Although the Wampis Nation had made the state authorities aware of the seriousness of the situation, the Pamuk of GTANW told Mongabay in February 2024 that none of the institutions in charge of environmental safety and conservation had arrived during this period of upheaval, allowing the illegal exploitation to continue expanding in the face of the state's negligence.
In addition to denouncing these events to state authorities, the Wampis have taken direct action to stop mining expansion. In early January, authorities from GTANW, the District Municipality of the River Santiago, community forces and the Katsaip Group (a form of Wampis Indigenous guard), evicted illegal miners from the Ayampis sector. In the following months, members of the Wampis Nation, organised through the Katsaip Group, have continued to intercept boats carrying illegal miners and their materials. By the end of February, they had intercepted seven boats. On 22 March 2024, hundreds of Wampis mobilised for a march in Puerto Galilea to reject illegal mining and logging.
On 18 April 2024, members of the Villa Gonzalo community detained three members of the Peruvian National Police and six other people while transporting illegal mining equipment. GTANW addressed an open letter to the Ministry of Interior and other state bodies, demanding immediate action to investigate the incident, destroy the dredges and ensure the effective protection of the Wampis.
A few days later, on 23 April, there was a high-level meeting between GTANW authorities, local authorities and fifty community members from Villa Gonzalo and the Peruvian state commission. The latter was composed of representatives of the Vice-Ministry of Internal Order of the Ministry of Interior (MININTER); the High Commissioner for the fight against illegal mining of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (PCM); the general and the chief of the Amazonas Police Region of the Peruvian National Police (PNP); prosecutors from the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office and the Specialised Environmental Prosecutor's Office; the technical team from the Ministry of the Interior; and the Bishop of the Apostolic Vicariate of San Francisco de Jaén, acting as mediator on behalf of the ecclesiastical authority.
After the interventions of the GTANW authorities and the Peruvian state and subsequent dialogue, the following agreements were reached:
"1) Bring the 09 persons detained to justice, so that they will be held as detainees for respective investigations.
2) Develop an interdiction plan from Ciro Alegría and Nieva.
3) Recognition of the Charip group as a self-defence committee.
4) Establish a multi-sectoral working group to develop productive economic projects that are nature-friendly.
5) Destruction of the boats that were seized on April 18, 2024 by the Charip group".
Read the original minutes of the meeting: https://nacionwampis.com/victoria-wampis-dialogo-y-compromiso-del-estado-peruano-para-frenar-la-mineria-ilegal/
A few days later, the investigative media outlet Ojo Público reported that one of the policemen arrested by the GTANW, third lieutenant Isaac Rosillo Palacios, is the holder of a 500 hectare mining concession in the district of El Cenepa, which overlaps with the territory of the indigenous communities of San Antonio and Tuutin, showing a clear conflict of interest.
A delegation from the GTANW is in Lima from 6-12 May to follow up on the agreements made on 7 February and 23 April. Their agenda includes strategic meetings with the PCM on 8 and 9 May, where critical issues will be addressed together with representatives of the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the PNP, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Environment, among other state sectors. It is hoped that, at last, the state will take its obligation seriously.
In an interview with media outlet Nativa, Wrays Pérez, coordinator of Socio-Environmental Governance and ex-pamuk of GTANW, said:
"The Wampis Nation is going to stick to its stance of fighting illegal mining, with or without the state, because we are willing to eradicate this scourge that is damaging rivers, forests and nature. Destroying nature, which is the source of life for humanity, should not only be the fight of the Wampis, it should be the fight of all Peruvians. That is why we are here [in Lima]. And if in these meetings they are going to send officials who have no decision-making power, we will have achieved nothing."
Doris Yacum, a GTANW councillor, pointed out:
"We have lived thousands of years in our territory. But we have not destroyed our water, our environment, we have conserved everything. But now everything has been changed. We need clean water, but right now [the River Santiago] is not clean. It is very, very murky, because there is a lot of mining. That's why we are protesting here in the capital. We don't want any more Baguas in our territory. We don't want that anymore. We live under threat. Our leaders live under threat.”
Overview
- Resource Type:
- News
- Publication date:
- 6 May 2024
- Region:
- Peru
- Programmes:
- Supply Chains and Trade Conservation and human rights Global Finance Territorial Governance Culture and Knowledge Legal Empowerment Access to Justice Law and Policy Reform
- Partners:
- Gobierno Territorial Autónomo de la Nación Wampís (GTANW)
- Translations:
- Spanish: Nación Wampis logra compromisos claves con Estado peruano para frenar minería ilegal en Kanus y aguardan su cumplimiento