Yesterday, the Colombian Army raided 12 illegal mines in Chocó, Colombia, in the rural areas of Quibdó as part of a joint operation with environmental authorities and the local police. They destroyed five dredges, twenty water pumps, and thirteen engines valued at 275 million COP, according to El Tiempo.
This comes five days after raiding, in a similar operation, 36 illicit mining sites controlled by Clan del Golfo, Colombia’s largest narcotrafficking organization, around nearby Carmen de Atrato.
The Colombian state is stepping up its counter-mining activities following the deployment of an additional 3,600 soldiers to Chocó in May to deal with escalating violence as armed groups battle for control over territory.
Other operations include a June raid in Unión Panamericana and Cértegui that destroyed machinery producing 18,000 grams of gold a month and a May operation that targeted 32 illegal mining sites, destroying 13.94-billion-COP-worth of machinery.
Chocó, located on Colombia’s Pacific Coast, has the highest gold production in Colombia, with 38,980 hectares of production, according to ACAPS Colombia. Illegal mining accounts for approximately 79% of the gold produced in the region.
Its extensive waterways also make the coastal region a critical node in criminal transport networks, which facilitate the movement of narcotics, illegal minerals, and people from production centres to the Pacific.
Consequently, the battle for territorial control among armed groups in Chocó is fierce, with dire consequences for the people who live there.
Colombia’s largest guerrilla army, the ELN, and its largest drug trafficking narcotrafficking group, Clan del Golfo, are currently waging war for control in the region.
In February of last year, the ELN implemented a 72-hour armed “paro” which confined residents of Chocó to their homes as a demonstration of power.
Chocó’s population is similarly threatened by the environmental devastation that comes with illegal mining. A UN letter from August warned that for every 1 gram of gold produced, 4.55 grams of toxic mercury were being released into the water and local environment.
Mercury is used in gold mining because it binds to gold particles, making them easier to separate. But it is also poisonous to humans and other life, causing serious cardiac, respiratory, and reproductive health issues.
Sources:
(https://www.policia.gov.co/noticia/32-unidades-produccion-minera-fueron-intervenidas-en-tutunendo-certegui-rio-quito-Quibdó)
https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=30277
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