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Environmental victory in French Guiana

category brazil/guyana/suriname/fguiana | environment | press release author Monday February 04, 2008 19:28author by Alternative Libertaire - ALauthor email relations.exterieures at alternativelibertaire dot org Report this post to the editors

Statement by Alternative Libertaire

The Canadian multinational Cambior/IAMGOLD will no longer be setting up a gold factory in Roura. This was supposed to be a huge industrial project on the borders of the Kaw marshes, a world-famous natural site which is home to the black caiman and many other species of animals and plants.


Environmental victory in French Guiana


The Canadian multinational Cambior/IAMGOLD will no longer be setting up a gold factory in Roura. This was supposed to be a huge industrial project on the borders of the Kaw marshes, a world-famous natural site which is home to the black caiman and many other species of animals and plants.

Its production target was acknowledged to have been 37 tonnes of gold in 7 years with its main factory using the technique of cyanidation and several additional mining sites. The struggle against this project started in 2005 on the initiative of ATTAC-Guyane and Alternative Libertaire.

The first coalition was formed with the political party Walwari, the Greens and an association of Kaw inhabitants. It was widened in spring 2006 to include 33 organizations and associations, including the Parti Socialiste Guyanais (the main left-wing party in Guiana) and environmentalist associations. A petition saying "No to the Cambior project at Kaw Mountain" was launched and collected 17,000 signatures in Guiana and beyond.

A gathering was organized in the autumn of 2006, which saw the participation of 600 people in a festive environment in the commune of Roura. Alternative Libertaire was also present.

Following this massive mobilization of the Guianese population, two missions of a team of experts of were ordered by the French government. Their opinions on the project were somewhat reserved. In August 2007, the French government decided to submit the IAMGOLD mining project to the "Grenelle de l'environnement" [an inter-party council of representatives of government and other organizations - translator's note]. A third mission of experts was then sent to Guiana. On reading their report, president Sarkozy decided against the project on 30 January 2008.

The industrial gold mine at Camp Caiman will not be built.

This is a victory for Alternative Libertaire Guyane and all those organizations and associations who were involved in the struggle. It is a defeat for the French employers' union, the MEDEF, and the Guianese right, which had fought hard for this factory in the name of the development at any cost.


Alternative Libertaire
2 February 2008

Translation by FdCA-International Relations

Related Link: http://www.alternativelibertaire.org
author by Ender Yılmaz - Anarkismopublication date Tue Feb 05, 2008 02:35author address author phone Report this post to the editors

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