Peace Brigades International has long accompanied the struggle against the Fortuna Silver mine in Oaxaca

Published by Brent Patterson on February 28, 2025February 28, 2025

Photo: PBI-Mexico attended Educa Oaxaca’s 25th anniversary colloquium ‘Challenges of the social and popular movement in the times of transformations in Mexico 1994-2019’.

Peace Brigades International, through its previous accompaniment of Services for Alternative Education A.C. (Educa Oaxaca), has long followed the situation of Vancouver-based Fortuna Silver mining operation in San José del Progreso, Mexico.

Jonathan Treat has reported: “In 2009 roughly three hundred opponents to Fortuna Silver’s mining operation participated in a blockade of the entrance to the Trinidad/Cuzcatlán. After 40 days, the blockade was brutally broken when some 700 police stormed into the community in full anti-riot gear, with automatic weapons, tear gas, attack dogs and a helicopter. People were beaten and more than 23 people were arrested; some were detained for three months.”

That blockade began on March 14, 2009, and the police attack against the blockade occurred in May 2009.

As the struggle against the mine continued, Bernardo Méndez was killed on January 18, 2012, and Bernardo Vásquez was killed on March 15, 2012.

In her eulogy for Vásquez, independent journalist Dawn Paley stated: “Bernardo Vasquez was a clear spoken Zapotec activist, a brother, son, and cousin, who dared to stand up against a mining project in the territory of his people. He was well aware that a paramilitary group was operating in San José Progreso, Oaxaca, and that it was organized to snuff out opposition to a gold mine, owned by Vancouver based Fortuna Silver. … One thing is clear: this was a political hit. Bernardo was murdered because he dared to speak out, ignoring the climate of fear imposed upon his people.”

Bernardo Vásquez.

A protest outside the Canadian consulate in Oaxaca days after Bernardo Vásquez, an opponent of the Fortuna mine, was murdered on March 15, 2012.

In November 2012, PBI-Mexico accompanied a “Misión Civil de Observación” that included two future members of the PBI-Canada team (Meera Karunananthan and Brent Patterson). Karunananthan told CBC News: “This is part of an international pattern with Canadian mining companies violating human rights in communities abroad.”

A company security guard checks a truck entering the San José Mine, November 2012. Photo by Brent Patterson.

Karunananthan speaks at the ‘Misión Civil de Observación’ media conference on the impacts of the Fortuna Silver mine, November 22, 2012.

PBI-Canada continued to monitor this struggle and in November 2018 organized an advocacy tour to Toronto and Ottawa, a virtual meeting with Global Affairs Canada officials in March 2021, then a webinar in collaboration with Amnesty International in November 2021, as well as posting regular updates on our website and social media.

During a PBI organized advocacy tour in Canada in November 2018, Neftalí Reyes Méndez (Educa Oaxaca) and Salvador Martínez Arellanes (an Indigenous leader from Santa Carina Minas) highlighted their concerns about Fortuna Silver.

This meeting with Global Affairs Canada officials in March 2021 was an opportunity for frontline voices to express concerns about Canadian mining operations, including the Fortuna Silver mine.

Our webinar in November 2021 that again featured Neftalí Reyes Méndez from Educa Oaxaca speaking about the Fortuna Silver mine.

Implications of the sale of the mine

On January 15, 2025, Promineria reported: “Fortuna Mining has signed a binding agreement to sell its 100% stake in Minera Cuzcatlán to Mexico’s Minas del Balsas. Minera Cuzcatlán owns the San José silver-gold mine in the state of Oaxaca. Following the sale, Fortuna will cease to participate in that mine, except for a royalty on the net smelter yield.”

That Promineria article further notes that while “the mine was scheduled to begin a phased closure process earlier this year”, Fortuna CEO Jorge Ganoza says “Minera del Balsas is well positioned to continue extracting value” from the mine, suggesting that the mine will continue to operate rather than close.

We have reached out to Educa Oaxaca for their comments on the implications of this sale.

We continue to follow this.