Mayan community journalist Carlos Ernesto Choc reports on march in Izabal demanding cancellation of mining licences

Published by Brent Patterson on May 25, 2025May 25, 2025

Photo: The sign says: “Caring for water is an act of love. Do it for yourself, for our children, for life on the planet. No to mining.”

Maya Q’eqchi’ journalist Carlos Ernesto Choc reports:

“On May 23, the 54 communities mobilized to demand that the environmental licenses and mining licenses in Cerro 1,019, located in the Sierra Santa Cruz, jurisdiction of Livingston, Izabal, be canceled. Several sectors joined the walk, such as the merchants’ union, transporters, public health, students and teachers, “water is life, let’s save the planet” shouted the girls and boys.

At the end of the walk in front of the municipal sub-mayor’s office in the village of Río Dulce, Livingston, Izabal, the three congressmen Darwin Edgardo Ramírez arrived, he was the first and 20 minutes later Deputy Thelma Ramírez arrived together with Deputy Juan Ramón Rivas, just as Governor Carlos Tenas took the floor.

It was a long meeting to reach an agreement because according to a community authority “it became a political show”, the representatives of the 54 communities demanded progress on the cancellation of mining licenses, because in the Sierra Santa Cruz there are 23 rivers and water sources, they also expressed their disagreement with the absence of [the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN), the Minister of Energy and Mines (MEM), and the Attorney General of the Nation (PGN)].

Deputy Edgardo Ramírez asked that the next meeting be held on June 16 and that there be positive responses for the 54 communities, which demand that the State cancel the mining licenses, on hill 1,019 of the Sierra Santa Cruz.”

The full article is at En Izabal, caminata pacífica exigiendo la cancelación de licencias mineras (Periodismo Aj Ral Ch’och’, Medium, May 24, 2025).

There is also More sectors join the communities of Livingston to stop mining in Sierra Santa Cruz (Juan Bautista Xol, Prensa Comunitaria, May 24, 2025).

Additional background

On April 14, 2025, IRTF Cleveland noted: “On January 28, authorities from Guatemala’s Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) were called to a congressional hearing, at which it was disclosed that Rio Nickel, S.A. (a subsidiary of Canada-based Central America Nickel, or CAN) has more than a dozen mining exploration applications for nickel and other minerals, almost all of them located in the Sierra Santa Cruz region.”

The Toronto-based Mining Injustice Solidarity Network (MISN) has also posted about the recent murder of Misael Mata Asencio, a land defender from the Maya Q’eqchi’ village of Las Flores in Livingston.

MISN explains: “[Misael Mata Asencio] worked to protect mountain 1019 in Sierra Santa Cruz, where Rio Nickel mining company hopes to operate. Asencio supported an alliance of 54 communities working to identify holes left by Rio Nickel’s exploration drilling. Rio Nickel is a subsidiary of the Canadian-owned company, Central America Nickel, which is headquartered in Montréal, Quebec.”

Central America Nickel describes itself as follows on LinkedIn: “a Canadian corporation positioned to become a major global supplier of critical minerals and energy metals, including nickel, lithium and rare earth elements.”

Accompaniment

Peace Brigades International began accompanying Maya Q’eqchi’ frontline journalist, human rights defender and environmentalist Carlos Ernesto Choc in April 2025.