Colombian town votes against AngloGold Ashanti gold mine, in vain
The AngloGold Ashanti project is still in the exploratory phase, but could unearth 28-million ounces of gold, one of the biggest discoveries of the past decade
Bogota — On Monday, the Colombian government shot down a small town’s attempt to block a multinational mining company from opening a gold mine there, saying a residents’ referendum held no legal weight. Fearing water pollution and the destruction of local forests, some 6,000 residents of Cajamarca, in central Colombia, voted against the mine on Sunday, 98% to 1.2%. However, mining minister Germán Arce sent a reassuring message to the South African firm pursuing the project, AngloGold Ashanti. "Exploration licences retain their validity," he said in a radio interview. The licence has already been granted, and "the [courts] have been very precise about the fact that such [referendum] decisions do not apply retroactively," he said. The minister also accused opponents of the mine of running a "disinformation" campaign, and downplayed the environmental risk. "We’re not talking about an open-air mine here. Nor are there a hundred rivers at risk," he said. AngloGold Ashanti’s project in th...
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