Indigenous leaders urge global halt on illegal Amazon gold trade
Leaders of the indigenous peoples inhabiting the untouched forests of the Peruvian Amazon appealed on Tuesday to the USA, Switzerland, India, and Saudi Arabia to stop buying "dirty," illegally mined gold, which comprises up to 70% of the gold exported from Peru.
8:02 AM EDT, October 2, 2024
The International Association for the Development of the Peruvian Selva (Aidesep) held a conference in the country's capital, Lima, under the slogan "Defending the Amazon from Mining Hell." Representatives from all organizations and communities in these areas adopted a protest against the presence of destructive illegal mining and the resulting harm to the Amazon's biodiversity.
70% of the gold exported from Peru by the state – according to current law – is exported illegally because it comes from illegally exploited mines. We appeal to Switzerland, the USA, Saudi Arabia, and India, which are buyers of this gold, to cease their activities, as they are responsible for the lives lost due to this practice (as a result of environmental pollution) of the indigenous people inhabiting these lands," stated Wilfredo Tsamash, the leader of the Awajun people inhabiting the San Martin department, in an interview with the Spanish agency EFE.
In a resolution adopted at the conference's conclusion, participants accuse the country’s legislative and executive authorities of "not only not standing with the indigenous inhabitants of the Amazon on this issue but even adapting the country’s existing laws to the needs of illegal exploiters of mineral resources found in the virgin forests of the Amazon."
Aidesep announced that the profits from illegal gold mines in Peru have increased elevenfold over the past ten years.
This increase, they claim, is mainly due to corruption at all levels of state power.
