AS CONFLICT BREWS IN BUMBUNA, CIVIL SOCIETY DEMANDS IMMEDIATE GOVERNMENT ACTION PRESS RELEASE Freetown, Wednesday, 9th May, 2012. We, the civil society organisations working on natural resources in Sierra Leone under the umbrella of the  Natural Resource Governance and Economic Justice (NaRGEJ), having undertaken an in-depth investigation into the recent Bumbuna incidence, are worried over the level of and frequency of violence that is occurring in that once peaceful community. Our worries stemmed from the latest incidence, which was allegedly characterized by sporadic shooting by the armed wing of the Sierra Leone Police (SLP), resulting in the death of 24 years old Musu Conteh and leaving eleven others with serious gunshot wounds.

It may be recalled that workers of the African Minerals Limited staged a protest in the Bumbuna mine site on Monday 16 April 2012 over low wages and unfair treatment meted out by their employers. The highhanded response of the police deployed to maintain security around the site led to the dead of one person and the wounding of many others. As a consequence, the government issued a press statement indicating that His Excellency Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma wasted no time in dispatching a team of senior government officials to the area to engage all stakeholders, including the aggrieved workers, in an effort to resolve the impasse. The outcome of the meetings was a communiqué signed by all parties, in which the company (AML) agreed to adhere to most of the concerns that the workers had earlier raised.

It is worthy to note that the use of excessive force against defenseless and peaceful citizens protesting against the inhumane treatment meted out to them by mining companies operating in the country has become a disturbing phenomenon. The police are in most cases accused of doing this at the behest of the mining companies. This cannot be unconnected to the lack of transparency and inclusion in corporate governance resulting in poor regulations, procedures and mechanisms that favour largely the company leaving the citizens very vulnerable.

In 2010, at another AML mining site on the outskirts of Bumbuna, landowners were subjected to unprovoked violence and harassment as they resisted corporate abuse of their rights. Similar disturbances between affected property owners in the Koidu Holdings Limited concession in Kono District in December 2007 led to the death of two unarmed protesters and the wounding of several others.  Despite official pronouncements from the government and subsequent investigations carried out, not much was done to redress the situation.

And we believe that the government has a fundamental constitutional and moral responsibility to protect lives and properties of its citizens. This does not in any way allude that we are not mindful of the government’s swift interventions in addressing conflicts emanating from workers protests and in helping to pacify the ensuing tensions. But we also equally believe that bringing the perpetrators of these inhuman and barbaric acts to justice will further enhance citizens’ confidence and peace in the mining communities.

It is in view of this that the Natural Resource Governance and Economic Justice platform is demanding that:

1.    The Government of Sierra Leone sets up a Commission to inquire into the violence and conflicts that have been associated with AML resulting in the death of one Sierra Leonean and injuries to many others in order to establish the root causes of these conflicts and the best way forward;

2.    The Government of Sierra Leone ensures that all parties fully comply with the Communiqué on the recent incident in Bumbuma;

3.    The Government of Sierra Leone and AML adopt international best practice procedures in corporate governance by implementing the UN Business and Human Rights Principles and the ILO Convention on Labour Laws;

4.    The Government of Sierra Leone immediately restore the Bargaining Certificate of the Mining and Allied Services Union (MASEU) whose withdrawal is depriving the workers of exercising and enjoying their labour rights;

5.    The Government of Sierra Leone causes the AML to hold orientation sessions for their expatriate workers on the culture of Sierra Leone, particularly those aspects that are peculiar to the Tonkolili district where the operations of the company are based;

For detailed report and more information please check website www.nmjd.org or contact any of the institutions listed: Campaign for Good Governance, Conscience International,  Talking Drum Studio , Sierra Leone Network on the Rights to Food (SilNORF), ACTION-AID International SL, Association of Journalists on Mining and Extractives (AJME), Green Scenery, Mining and Allied Services and Employee Union (MASEU), Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD) and National Advocacy Coalition on Extractives (NACE) and individuals whose contact numbers are mentioned below:

NMJD – PLATFORM CHAIRMAN +232 76 645 314, +232 76 673712 OR NACE – CO – CHAIR +232 76 602470;   CJM 076-600954

See related article at http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11661

Since 2010 a number of offshore companies associated with Dan Gertler – an Israeli businessman and friend of Congolese President Joseph Kabila – have secretly bought stakes in several mines from the state, paying only a small fraction of their commercially estimated values. The mines were sold without public tenders and limited details were only released long after the assets were sold off.

After buying the assets, at least two of the offshore companies made huge profits by selling on shares in them soon afterwards. Others are positioned to profit by collecting the mining revenues.

Some of the proceeds of mining sales in 2011 were used by the Congolese government to cover costs related to the 2011 election, which returned incumbent president Joseph Kabila to power. The polls were condemned as flawed by international diplomats and election observers and were marred by killings committed by government security forces.

Mr Gertler and Glencore have challenged Global Witness’s facts as laid out in the briefing, and their views are reflected in the note. A spokesman for Mr Gertler has questioned the commercial valuations for some of the mines concerned, while both Glencore and Mr Gertler’s representatives categorically deny any involvement in corruption in Congo.

“Glencore’s business in Congo is intimately tied up with a controversial friend of the president,” said Daniel Balint Kurti, Campaign Leader for the Democratic Republic of Congo at Global Witness. “In a country endowed with vast mineral wealth and yet ranked by the UN as the least developed nation in the world, the company owes its shareholders and, more importantly, the people of Congo, an explanation of exactly who now owns their natural resources.”

Mr Gertler is a key intermediary through whom Glencore has acquired stakes in Congolese mining assets. He is also a partner in all three mining ventures in Congo in which Glencore has acquired stakes that have been collectively valued at an estimated $4.6 billion. Two of those ventures, the Kansuki and Mutanda mines, together are expected to add at least 40% to the world’s cobalt output and increase Congo’s copper production by about 40% (compared to 2011 production figures) once they are fully developed.

Global Witness is asking Glencore and Mr Gertler to release the full list of shareholders of all the offshore companies involved – information which is currently secret. Global Witness believes there is a risk that the shareholders could include corrupt Congolese government officials or their proxies.

“Congo’s natural resource wealth should benefit the country as a whole,” said Balint-Kurti. “Yet hugely profitable deals are being struck in Congo by secretive offshore companies and multinationals; the Congolese state is getting peanuts and we are extremely concerned that the Congolese people are being deprived of billions of dollars.”

As the world’s largest commodity-trading firm, Glencore’s behaviour helps set the standard for how commodities companies operate across the world. It boasts that it “will not assist any third party in violating the law in any country, nor pay or receive bribes, nor participate in any other criminal, fraudulent or corrupt practice”.

“It is now incumbent upon Glencore to show that it is living up to its rhetoric and that it is ready to make public the details of its previously secret business deals,” concluded Balint-Kurti.

/Ends

Notes for editors:

Contact:

Daniel Balint-Kurti, +44 (0) 207 492 5872 and +44 (0) 7912 517 146

Notes to editors:

1. The full report on Glencore’s investments in Congo and the company’s links to Dan Gertler is available at http://www.globalwitness.org/sites/default/files/Global%20Witness%20memo%20on%20Glencore%27s%20secretive%20dealings%20in%20the%20Democratic%20Republic%20of%20Congo.pdf.

2. A Q&A on the “secret sales” scandal can be found at http://www.globalwitness.org/sites/default/files/Global%20Witness%20Q%26A%20on%20Glencore%20in%20the%20Congo_0.pdf.

3. Written responses by Glencore and Mr Gertler’s representatives to questions from Global Witness can be found at http://www.globalwitness.org/library/glencore-has-questions-answer-global-witness-investigation-potentially-corrupt-deals-congo.

Global Witness investigates and campaigns to prevent natural resource-related conflict and corruption and associated environmental and human rights abuses.

If you go to the weblink http://www.globalwitness.org/campaigns/corruption/oil-gas-and-mining/glencore, you will find all the associated documents, including Global Witness’s note for the attention of Glencore shareholders and replies from Glencore and Dan Gertler.

1st May 2012

DEMOCRACY AT A PRICE: DECISION BY BHP BILLITON AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO SEEK COSTS FROM ARABUNNA ELDER PUNITIVE AND VINDICTIVE

The Australian Nuclear Free Alliance (ANFA) is deeply concerned by the decision of BHP Billiton and the Federal Government to seek costs from Arabunna elder uncle Kevin Buzzacott arising from his challenge of the Federal approval of the Olympic Dam expansion.

“ANFA members fully support Uncle Kevin and admire his stand for country. We know that history will be the fairest judge of this struggle. BHP and the minister who approved the expansion of Olympic Dam will be forever linked to the toxic legacy of this mine, for thousands of years to come,” said Larrakia woman Donna Jackson, co-chair of ANFA.

“The court decided that Kevin Buzzacott had standing to pursue this challenge, as is his right under both the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act and the Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act,” said ANFA Committe member Nectaria Calan. “Where does this leave the right to judicial review of such projects if those who seek such a review are then punished with costs?”

Dean Della Vale, president of BHP’s Uranium Customer Sector Group which is responsible for the Olympic Dam project, is a founding member of the Australian Uranium Associations Indigenous Dialogue Group, established to facilitate dialogue with traditional owners.

“BHP  pursuing costs undermines any claims by the Indigenous Dialogue Group that they are seeking to engage with aboriginal communities in good faith. Aboriginal communities do not have the right to say no to mining on their land, and here we have an elder using one of the few legal options available to them to ensure that at least the impacts of the project were properly considered, and they may be facing a massive bill for doing so,” said Ms Calan.

“The message BHP are sending is that there are repercussions for taking on the mining giant. Last financial year the company recorded a total net profit of US$23. 95 billion – they certainly don’t need the money,” Ms Calan concluded.

For comment contact:

Donna Jackson  + 61 427 847 186

Legal commentary: Nectaria Calan  + 61 432 388 665

For background, see http://londonminingnetwork.org/2012/04/bhp-billiton-wants-money-from-aboriginal-elder/.

MINING GIANT SEEKS COSTS FROM ARABUNNA ELDER AFTER RULING ON CHALLENGE TO FEDERAL APPROVAL OF THE OLYMPIC DAM EXPANSION

In a packed courtroom today Justice Besanko dismissed Uncle Kevin Buzzacott’s challenge of the Federal approval of the Olympic Dam expansion. The judge did not discuss his reasons in the court.

Both BHP and the Federal government are seeking costs from Kevin Buzzacott.

The hearing was held in the Federal Court on the 3rd and 4th April, after which the Judge reserved his judgement. Both BHP Billiton and the South Australian government had successfully sought to become parties to the proceedings.

“The speed with which this decision was made suggests pressure to resolve the matter as quickly as possible so as not to impact the project,” said Nectaria Calan of Friends of the Earth Adelaide.

“The judgement is really a product of the constrained nature of such administrative challenges. It really rests on interpretation of two pieces of legislation which govern the Ministers approval. The merits of the project were never on the table for discussion.”

“If such an approval with so many future plans yet to be approved constitutes a proper approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act, how can such an open-ended  project be judicially reviewed?” said Ms Calan.

“The question we are left with is whether the EPBC Act protects the environment,” Ms Calan continued.

“This is a very sad day,” said applicant Kevin Buzzacott. “We offered the judge the issue on a platter, and he wasted an opportunity to make changes that will reverberate in this nation for thousands of years.”

“But we’re not going away. This isn’t over yet,” Mr Buzzacott concluded.

Both Kevin Buzzacott and Nectaria Calan will be available for comment on the details of the ruling early next week once the lengthy judgement has been considered.

Contact: Kevin Buzzacott  +61 431 157 747 Nectaria Calan  +61 432 388 665

For earlier reporting, see http://londonminingnetwork.org/2012/04/bhp-billitons-uranium-mine-expansion-challenged-in-court/.

Monday 2nd April

OLYMPIC DAM APPROVAL CHALLENGED IN FEDERAL COURT THIS WEEK

David and Goliath: Kevin Buzzacott v Federal Environment Minister, SA Government and BHP Billiton

Uncle Kevin Buzzacott, Aboriginal Elder of the Arabunna Nation in Northern South Australia, is challenging the Federal Environment Minister’s approval of the Olympic Dam expansion on the grounds that various environmental impacts of the project were not properly considered. He is represented by the Environmental Defenders Office, a community legal centre specialising in public interest litigation. The case will be heard on the 3rd and 4th of April in the Federal Court, Adelaide.

In October last year, the Hon Tony Burke MP approved the project under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999.

Mr. Buzzacott is challenging the Minister’s approval on the following grounds:

1. The approval is so uncertain that it does not constitute a proper approval under the EPBC Act. This is because much of the environmental assessment and decision-making is left up to plans and studies that have not yet been prepared or considered by the Minister or the public.

2. The Minister did not properly consider the impact of the Olympic Dam expansion on the environment. In particular, the impacts from the above ground storage of radioactive tailings waste.

3. The Minister failed to consider the environmental impacts associated with the export of uranium.

4. The Minister failed to properly consider the impacts of the expansion on groundwater resources including the Great Artesian Basin.

“Because this is a nuclear action, the Minister is required by the EPBC Act to properly consider all environmental impacts. The size of this project makes this particularly important. Just the tailings dams will end up covering 4,400 hectares, to be left on the surface of the land forever. These dams are designed to leak radioactive waste into the underlying rock and aquifer. Such environmental impacts are not minor details to be worked out later,” said Nectaria Calan of Friends of the Earth Adelaide.

Both BHP Billiton and the South Australian Government have successfully applied to be party to the proceedings.

“Although the challenge relates specifically to the Minister’s approval, these parties will now also participate in the proceedings, and therefore influence the final decision of the Judge,” said Ms. Calan. “Uncle Kevin is now up against two tiers of government and a massive multinational mining corporation. It’s a vast imbalance of resources, suggesting concern on the part of BHP and the SA government that the challenge may succeed.”

The community will rally outside the court at 9.30am on both days in support of the legal challenge.   The hearing is currently listed for 10.15 am Court no.7, level 7 on both days however media is advised that these details may change.

Contact:

Applicant: Kevin Buzzacott  +61 431 157 747

Legal commentary: Nectaria Calan  + 61 432 388 665

A background briefing with further details is available on request.

Media is further advised that both contacts will be unavailable whilst court is in session..

Bumi plc's Kaltim Prima Coal mine in Indonesia. Photo: JATAM

London Mining Network has today published a report calling on the government to include a review of regulatory regimes as part of the current discussion on the Financial Services Bill. The Bill is replacing the existing FSA with a new body, the Financial Conduct Authority, which will inherit the FSA’s role as UK Listing Authority.

Looking at eight case studies, the report, UK-Listed Mining Companies & the Case for Stricter Oversight, argues that:

• Many mining companies listed in London have very poor records of complicity in human rights abuse, environmental pollution or destruction of people’s cultures and livelihoods around the world.
• Once listed in London, some mining companies have continued to flout the law in the countries where they operate, or engage in damaging tax avoidance, or break accepted international mining industry standards, with no move by the UK Listing Authority to discipline them.

John McDonnell MP, who will be chairing the Parliamentary launch of the report today, said:

“We cannot stand by and witness these global mining companies brutally impoverishing and destroying the lives and environments of whole communities. We need not only to expose this exploitation but also to demand that a firm system of international regulation, control and accountability is put in place that halts the destructive activities of these corporate pirates.”

Peter Frankental, the Economic Relations Programme Director of Amnesty International UK, said:

“This report by London Mining Network presents a challenge to the Government to ensure that the proposed regulatory body has the powers to require mining companies to meet acceptable human rights and environmental standards as a condition for listing on the London Stock Exchange”.

Richard Solly, Co-ordinator of London Mining Network, said:

“This report provides a reminder to the Government of the need for measures to ensure that the London Stock Exchange does not continue to act as a repository for dodgy companies that harm the environment and abuse human rights. The ease with which such companies can list in the UK is an indictment of the existing regulatory framework”.

The report can be downloaded from http://londonminingnetwork.org/docs/lmn-the-case-for-stricter-oversight.pdf.

The eight London-listed mining companies looked at tin the report are African Barrick, Brinkley Mining, African Minerals, London Mining, Vedanta Resources, Glencore, GCM Resources and Bumi.

The Government has introduced its Financial Services Bill, which is being considered in Committee between 21 February and 20 March.

Wednesday 29th February marked the launch of Gaia Foundation’s new report, Opening Pandora’s Box – A New Wave of Land Grabbing for the Extractive Industries and The Devastating Impact on Earth. The report was produced with the support of London Mining Network.

This much anticipated report alerts global citizens to the dynamics in the extractive industries as a whole, and shows the alarming scale of this overall trend. Just as in the Greek myth, when Pandora opened the box and let out all the troubles known to mortals, so too this new wave of land grabbing for mining is leading to unimaginable destruction. If hope does remain, we must wake-up and act now.

See http://www.gaiafoundation.org/news/launch-of-the-pandoras-box-report.

To read the report’s executive summary, see http://www.gaiafoundation.org/sites/default/files/executivesummary.pdf.

To read the full report, see http://www.gaiafoundation.org/sites/default/files/Pandorasboxlowres.pdf.

Global mining boom is leading to landgrab, says report

Huge increase in large-scale mining is being fuelled by the rising price of metals and oil, as search for minerals centres on Africa.

See http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/mar/01/global-mining-boom-landgrab-africa.

Other media coverage of the report is at:

Rally against GCM's Phulbari project. Photo: Taslima Akhtfer

News release: United Nations Human Rights – Office of the High Commissioner

Bangladesh open-pit coal mine threatens fundamental rights, warn UN experts

GENEVA (28 February 2012) – “The Government of Bangladesh must ensure that any policy concerning open-pit coal mining includes robust safeguards to protect human rights. In the interim, the Phulbari coal mine should not be allowed to proceed because of the massive disruptions it is expected to cause,” said today a group of United Nations independent experts. They warned that if this open-pit mine is permitted, it could displace hundreds of thousands of people and lead to the violation of fundamental human rights. “The Phulbari development would displace vulnerable farming communities, and threaten the livelihoods of thousands more by doing irreversible damage to water sources and ecosystems in the region,” the experts said, noting that an estimated 50,000 to 130,000 people would be immediately displaced by the project, with up to 220,000 potentially affected over time as irrigation channels and wells dry up.

A national coal policy is pending in a parliamentary committee, with early indications suggesting that open-pit coal mining will be permitted and, thus, would allow development of the Phulbari coal mine in north-western Bangladesh. The mine reportedly would extract 572 million tonnes of coal over the next 36 years from a site covering nearly 6,000 hectares and destroy approximately 12,000 hectares of productive agricultural land.

“We welcome Prime Minister Hasina’s acknowledgement that coal extraction in Bangladesh would threaten densely populated areas. Mixed messages, however, are emerging and investors continue to push forward,” warned the independent human rights experts.

Food and water “Nearly half the Bangladeshi population is food insecure, and nearly one quarter severely food insecure. Local food production should be strengthened, not sacrificed for industrial projects,” said the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter. The land under threat is located in Bangladesh’s most fertile agricultural region where production of staple crops such as rice and wheat allows subsistence farmers to feed their families, and supports the entire country’s food needs.

In addition to the destruction of agricultural land, waterways supporting over 1,000 fisheries and nearly 50,000 fruit trees may be destroyed. The water table may be lowered by 15-25 metres over the life span of the mine. “Access to safe drinking water for some 220,000 people is at stake,” stated Catarina de Albuquerque, the Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation.

Displacement and indigenous rights Those likely to be affected include entire villages of Santal, Munda, Mahili and Pahan indigenous peoples. “Displacement on this scale, particularly of indigenous peoples, is unacceptable without the indigenous peoples’ free, prior and informed consent, and poses an immediate threat to safety and standards of living,” warned the Special Rapporteurs Raquel Rolnik (adequate housing) and James Anaya (indigenous peoples).

Democratic rights Concerns have also arisen over repression of human rights defenders peacefully protesting the Phulbari Coal Mine and other energy sector developments. “The legitimacy of the process is highly questionable,” noted the Special Rapporteurs Frank La Rue (freedom of opinion and expression) and Maina Kiai (freedom of peaceful assembly and of association). “People must be informed throughout, and must not be intimidated out of exercising their rights to express their opinions and peacefully assemble.”

“By incorporating human rights principles into the national development strategy and fulfilling their human rights obligations, the Government is more likely to reduce poverty. Human rights and development policies are mutually reinforcing,” noted the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Magdalena Sepúlveda.

“The Phulbari coal mine may entice developers. But for many Bangladeshis the wholesale environmental degradation of the Phulbari region will exacerbate food insecurity, poverty and vulnerability to climate events for generations to come,” warned the UN independent experts.   END

For more information log on to: Right to food: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Food/Pages/FoodIndex.aspx Water and sanitation: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/WaterAndSanitation/SRWater/Pages/SRWaterIndex.aspx Extreme poverty: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Poverty/Pages/SRExtremePovertyIndex.aspx Adequate housing: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Housing/Pages/HousingIndex.aspx Freedom of opinion and expression: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/FreedomOpinion/Pages/OpinionIndex.aspx Freedom of peaceful assembly and of association: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/AssemblyAssociation/Pages/SRFreedomAssemblyAssociationIndex.aspx Indigenous peoples: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/IPeoples/SRIndigenousPeoples/Pages/SRIPeoplesIndex.aspx

OHCHR Country page – Bangladesh: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/AsiaRegion/Pages/BDIndex.aspx

For additional information and media requests, please contact Yoonie Kim (Tel: +41 22 917 9643 / email: ykim@ohchr.org)   For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts: Xabier Celaya (+ 41 22 917 9383 / xcelaya@ohchr.org)

UN Human Rights, follow us on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unitednationshumanrights  Twitter: http://twitter.com/UNrightswire  YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/UNOHCHR

Check the Universal Human Rights Index: http://uhri.ohchr.org/en

For further coverage of this issue, see:

http://ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=11878&LangID=E

http://www.srfood.org/index.php/en/component/content/article/2044-bangladesh-open-pit-coal-mine-threatens-fundamental-rights-warn-un-experts

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=41398

http://dgrnewsservice.org/2012/02/28/as-many-as-220000-people-could-be-displaced-by-open-pit-coal-mine-in-bangladesh/

http://www.womensviewsonnews.org/2012/03/bangladesh-open-cast-mine-threatens-fundamental-human-rights-warns-un/

http://bicusa.org/en/Article.12604.aspx

http://indigenouspeoplesissues.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14123:bangladesh-open-pit-coal-mine-project-in-bangladesh-threatens-rights&catid=33:central-asia-indigenous-peoples&Itemid=66

http://indigenousissuesinasia.wordpress.com/tag/phulbari/

http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2012/02/29/Britain-Bangladesh-team-for-renewables/UPI-20011330518101/

http://netindian.in/news/2012/02/29/00019025/open-pit-coal-mine-project-bangladesh-threatens-human-rights-un-experts

http://www.newsroomamerica.com/story/220398.html

http://www.tolerance.ca/ArticleExt.aspx?ID=131610&L=en

copyright: Gaia Foundation

Gaia Foundation press release, Thursday 15th December 2011

Yesterday in Central London a silent protest took place outside the General Meeting of Shareholders of Australian mining company, Coal of Africa Ltd (CoAL). The protest was held in solidarity with the communities of the Limpopo Province, South Africa, who face untold ecological, social and economic damage to their ancestral homes should the mine go ahead.

The CoAL project which will affect this region is known as the Makhado Project. It is in addition to one other mine owned by the company in Limpopo Province, known as Vele, and a further two in the neighbouring Mpumalanga province. Yesterday’s meeting preceded CoAL’s Conditional Placing of Shares on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange plc, which is set to take place today.

Liz Hosken, founding director of The Gaia Foundation, took part in the protest: “We are here in support of the local communities and especially the Makadzhis - the guardians of the sacred sites and sacred lands of Venda in Limpopo Province. These are the spiritual leaders of the people whose responsibility it is to protect their ancestral homeland, which these coal-mining projects will destroy if  they go ahead. The company haven’t even carried out proper studies, but the one thing that they have admitted is that the underground water will be finished within two years. So there isn’t even enough water for their own projects; let alone for life itself. If there is no water, there is no life. This is truly Ecocide.”

Earlier this week twelve civil society groups and community members from the Limpopo Province sent a letter to over fifty shareholders and potential investors of Coal of Africa (CoAL) demanding that they reconsider their plans to support the company – and specifically the Makhado Project.

The letter set out a number of grave concerns relating to CoAL’s handling of the Makhado project and their neighbouring Vele mine. These included a flawed public participation process; failure to provide adequate answers to questions raised by the community; no water licence; and an insufficient Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA), Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Management Plan.

The letter states: “We have a responsibility to our ancestors and to our children to stop the destruction of our ancestral lands. You would do the same if someone wanted to mine your home. Please think about that”.

Notes to Editors:
Watch a 2-minute film about yesterday’s protest and what the mine will mean for the lives of the communities of Limpopo here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZG0Sc9NTRY&feature=youtu.be

For further information please contact Rowan Phillimore at The Gaia Foundation, London on +44 207 428 0054 or rowan@gaianet.org
or A.M. Mudau, Dzomo la Mupo, South Africa email: azwihangwisimosesm@yahoo.com or +27 79 412 2666

Image: Silent protest outside CoAL’s General Meeting of Shareholders which took place in Central London yesterday (Wednesday 14th December). Copyright, The Gaia Foundation.

Representatives from The Gaia Foundation, the London Mining Network and the general public took part in the peaceful protest.
The letter which was sent to CoAL shareholders and investors earlier this week has been based on evidence and analysis drawn from a research report commissioned by an alliance of groups, to look into the impacts of coal mining. The report Mine Not – Waste Not: A preliminary critique of aspects of the CoAL Makhado Colliery Project EIA and EMP is available on the following websites: The Gaia Foundation http://www.gaiafoundation.org and London Mining Network www.londonminingnetwork.org.

Coal of Africa’s website states today that, ‘subject to obtaining shareholder approval to issue the Conditional Placing Shares, the Company will apply for admission of the Conditional Placing Shares to trading or quotation and listing of the Conditional Placing Shares on the AIM market of London Stock Exchange plc (“AIM”) on 15 December 2011 and on the Main Board of JSE Limited (“JSE”) on 20 December 2011. Accordingly, the anticipated settlement date for the Conditional Placing Shares on AIM is 15 December 2011’. www.coalofafrica.com

The letter, which is endorsed by 12 local groups, has been sent to shareholders and potential investors including M & G Investments (part of Prudential), JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank, HSBC and ArcelorMittal, in advance of Coal of Africa’s General Meeting of Shareholders, which takes place in central London this Wednesday, 14th December.

The text of the letter is below.

For full Gaia Foundation press release, see http://www.gaiafoundation.org/content/mine-not-waste-not

The report Mine Not – Waste Not: A preliminary critique of aspects of the CoAL Makhado Colliery Project EIA and EMP is available at http://www.gaiafoundation.org/sites/default/files/MineNotWasteNot_december2011_0.pdf.

Open letter to Shareholders and Potential Investors of Coal of Africa Ltd (CoAL)

12th December 2011

We represent 12 local groups from Limpopo Province, South Africa, where Coal of Africa Ltd (CoAL) has two of its four coal mining projects, one being the Makhado Project.

Our alliance ranges from communities to farmers and ranchers of all cultures and incomes, representing thousands of people whose lives are at stake due to these projects in our province.

This letter outlines the reasons why we ask you NOT to invest in Coal of Africa Ltd (CoAL), or any of their projects, including Makhado Project. Investing in CoAL would create a social, ecological and economic disaster for those of us whose homes and livelihoods would be destroyed if these projects were to go ahead.  It is a flawed investment and totally unjust.

Our analysis is based on the research we commissioned from an international expert in the impacts of coal mining. The report, “Mine Not – Waste Not: A preliminary critique of aspects of the CoAL Makhado Colliery Project EIA and EMP” is widely available  together with two of the letters written by community groups to South African government ministries, clarifying their concerns and grievances regarding the Makhado Project.

These are some of the most critical reasons why you should NOT invest in Coal of Africa Makhado Project:

1. Refusal to provide vital information to affected parties – CoAL has refused to give affected parties the Environmental Management Programme or their prospecting permit. This is unlawful as this information must be available to the public.

2. Flawed public participation process – This process has been chaotic, ad hoc and inadequate, resulting in an incomplete application process.

3. Failure to give answers to vital questions – The concerns raised by the many affected parties have not been addressed, which is building growing discontent amongst the local communities and affected parties towards CoAL.

4. No water licence and not enough water in the area – The water studies for the project are incomplete, the water licence has not been granted and, by the company’s own admission, the underground water will be decimated by 2014. This is without taking into account the other mining project’s considerable water needs or the needs of the ecosystem and the communities who depend on it for their lives.  There is not enough water for one of CoAL’s projects, let alone the others. This defies logic.

5. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Management Plan (EMP) incomplete and should therefore be rejected – By the company’s own admission, these fundamental documents are incomplete and CoAL needs more time to finalise them, for “a project of this magnitude and complexity”. None of the concerns raised by affected parties have been addressed or included in these documents. The required studies have not been completed and there are omissions of vital information and many speculative statements. Thus these documents should be rejected.  Anyway, the company has now run over the stipulated date for completion.

6. The Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) deficient – This analysis makes unsubstantiated assumptions and does not take the severe ecological or socio- economic implications into account. Thus it completely underestimates the liabilities of the project.

7. A Bad Investment – Firstly, the communities and local groups are determined to stop this project because it will destroy their lives and livelihoods. Local resistance against the project is growing as more people come to terms with the impact that this will have upon them and their environment. Secondly, as is evident from the catalogue of omissions, CoAL is a young, inexperienced company, lacking in ability to deal with people, meet the necessary legal requirements or carry out the required research to assess the viability of a project.  This makes them a high-risk investment.

We pledge to stop the Makhado CoAL Project from going ahead. We alert you to the fact that what you might consider to be a profitable investment will cause the permanent destruction of our ancestral homes, ecosystems, livelihoods and the future options for our children. Without water there is no life. Without land we have no livelihoods.

We have a responsibility to our ancestors and to our children to stop the destruction of our ancestral lands. You would do the same if someone wanted to mine your home.  Please think about that.

Yours Sincerely

Signed by the following local groups from Limpopo Province:
Dzomo la Mupo
Mupo Foundation
Mudzi wa Vhurereli ha Vhavenda
Ndima Community Services
Thikho ya Mvelele
Vhembe Traditional Healers Forum
Cultural Biodiversity Group
Vhufa ha Vhangona
Vhembe Traditional Healers
Vhangona National Cultural Movement
Soutpansberg District Agricultural Union
Makhado Action Group
Replies to: A.M. Mudau, Dzomo la Mupo , email:azwihangwisimosesm@yahoo.com

Saami areas in Sweden are currently experiencing an explosion in mining developments by both Scandinavian and foreign companies. Ironically, while these companies commonly market themselves to investors based on principles of Corporate Social Responsibility, many of them risk breaching human rights conventions, because they all too often fail to see the connection between the impacts of their activities and Saami rights.

The Saami Council, the National Swedish Saami Association, and individual Saami communities are in dialogue with several mining companies and their investors, including Scandinavian Resources and Beowulf Mining, to name just two. “These companies claim to respect the rights of Indigenous peoples, yet they seem to have no problem with performing intrusive exploration and mining activities in sensitive Saami reindeer herding areas”, says Mattias Åhrén, Head of Human Rights, at the Saami Council.

Many Saami communities are at a crisis point. “Reindeer herding, and our Saami culture, simply cannot tolerate any more industrial activities. We have very little lands left and the last of them are being taken by private mining companies”, says Mats Berg, on behalf of the Saami delegation to London, representing the Saami communities of Girjas, Laevas, Sirges and Lainiovuoma.

Saami organisations are also critical of Sweden’s failure to protect Saami rights.  “Sweden’s mining legislation does not provide any protection of Saami rights and the Swedish government has been critiqued numerous times by the UN for its failure to take action”, says Jörgen Jonsson, Chairman of the National Swedish Saami Association.

See Saami media release at http://saamiresources.org/2011/12/06/saami-communities-protest-in-london-over-mining/

On the eve of the 17th UNFCCC, the world’s climate summit, the UK Tar Sands Network will serve papers to Shell UK executives on behalf of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN). ACFN plans to sue Shell for failure to meet contractual agreements made between Shell and the First Nations regarding existing tar sands projects within ACFN traditional territory and Canada’s pristine Athabasca, a UNESCO heritage site. Chief Allan Adam along with the entire council of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN) will rally outside Shell Canada corporate headquarters in downtown Calgary later today and hold a press conference.

After years of agreements with Shell Oil, the Athabasca Chipewyan people have decided to risk everything by challenging Shell’s practices and filing suit.  “We’re drawing the line, and taking a strong stand against Shell. ACFN wants no further developments until Shell is brought to justice and our broader concerns about the cumulative impacts in the region are addressed,” stated Chief Adam.

The agreements in question were meant to ensure Shell would provide a number of measures to lessen the impact of tar sands mines on ACFN. In addition to the lawsuit against Shell, ACFN also plans to oppose all future tar sands projects by Shell. “Tar sands have been widely recognized as the most destructive project on earth because of the serious impacts on treaty and aboriginal rights, ecological destruction and global green house gas emissions (GHG),” commented Suzanne Dhaliwal from the UK Tar Sands Network. “Shell is one of the largest players in the tar sands producing close to 20% of overall production and it needs to be held accountable for the mass destruction it is causing to communities and the environment.”

Shell Canada recently submitted proposals to expand its current tar sands operations which, if approved, would more then double their production. This would translate into further encroachment of open pit mines on ACFN traditional lands, and into the pristine wilderness of the Pierre River, a previously untouched area.

Chief Adam stated, “Shell has failed to meet past commitments and governments have done nothing to mitigate the issue. Current government monitoring is inadequate, and Shell cannot be trusted to monitor itself.” ACFN is rightfully concerned these projects will further impact the First Nation’s ability to exercise treaty rights in a meaningful way into the future. “We don’t want our community to become the next Niger Delta, where Shell’s unregulated actions have left communities devastated and resulted in the need for a 30-year clean-up estimated to cost $1 billion USD. The fate of our communities and our river is at stake and we are in the crosshairs of Shell’s plans to aggressively expand tar sands in our traditional territory. We ask the public to support ACFN’s efforts to stop Shell from permanently destroying our lands and community.”

An international coalition of Indigenous and environmental groups, including Keepers of the Athabasca, Greenpeace, Indigenous Environmental Network, Sierra Club Prairie, AWA, Pembina, Council of Canadians, International Indigenous Treaty Council, AFN Regional Office (NWT), Carrier Sekani Tribal Council, Dene Nation, Platform, London Mining Network, UK Tar Sands Network and People & Planet endorsed today’s action echoing the call on Shell Oil Canada and Shell Oil International to halt any further tar sand extraction in the Athabasca region until proper environmental safeguards are put into place in accordance with the treaties between Canada and First Nations government.

See http://www.no-tar-sands.org/get-the-shell-out-of-the-tar-sands/
***Photo Opportunity 11:00 am  Shell Centre, London SE1 7NA***
Eriel Deranger (Canada) – 001 780-903-6598
Suzanne Dhaliwal (UK)  – 07967758641

See http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page72068?oid=137155&sn=Detail&pid=92730 and
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/10/bhpbilliton-idUSL3E7LA0FA20111010.

Australian Nuclear Free Alliance calls for a moratorium on uranium mining

MEDIA RELEASE,  11th October 2011

In the wake of the approval of the Olympic Dam expansion, the Australian Nuclear Free Alliance (ANFA) is calling for a moratorium on uranium mining due to the long term impacts associated with the nuclear industry.

Uncle Kevin Buzzacott, Arabunna elder from Lake Eyre and President of ANFA, addressed a rally at Parliament House in Adelaide yesterday held in response to the approvals announced by the State and Federal government:

“Today is a very sad day, but it’s not over yet. We are not going to rest until the government reverses its decision. We want BHP Billiton out of the desert. If we have to bring this town to a standstill, then so be it.”

South Australian Minister for Mineral Resources Development Tom Koutsantonis said yesterday that the mine will be subject to the most “stringent environmental conditions.”

“If 8 million litres of radioactive waste per day leaking into the underground rock and aquifer, and almost 9 billion tonnes of radioactive waste left in the desert at the mines closure, is acceptable under these conditions, then the South Australian government is setting the bar extremely low,” said ANFA Committee member Nectaria Calan.

“The radioactive waste will remain on Kokatha and Arabunna Country long after the former ‘Big Australian,’ now 76 per cent foreign owned, packs up its business and moves on.”

The expansion means an increase in shipments of uranium oxide and copper concentrate railed through the Northern Territory and shipped out from East Arm wharf on Larrakia land.

Donna Jackson, ANFA co-chair and Larrakia woman said, “the transport and export of these goods puts additional pressures on our emergency services, if we increase the volume, we increase the chance of an accident happening.”

“We stand by the Kokatha and Arabunna who oppose this expansion and we repeat our opposition and distress to the approved increase of two trains a day transporting radioactive materials through the NT and out from our Darwin Harbour.”

For comment contact:
SA: Kevin Buzzacott   0431 157 747, Nectaria Calan     0432 388 665
NT: Donna Jackson     0427 847 186

THE LIZARD’S REVENGE

Invitation/Press Release

DLF  – Desert Liberation Front

Response to the government’s decision to expand Olympic Dam mine.

Sleeping underneath the ground there is an old lizard, Kalta the sleepy lizard. The lizard ain’t so sleepy anymore.

BHP is mining right into that Lizards body. The government has just approved an expansion of the Olympic Dam uranium mine, making it the biggest uranium mine in the world.

Kalta is angry and wants revenge. Arabana elder Kevin Buzzacot is calling the people of the world to help the lizard shut down the mine. He is calling for people to come and heal the land in the name of peace and justice for the next 10,000 generations to come.

The land is being irreversibly poisoned in and around Roxby Downs by the tailings dam causing dust and ground water contamination, and contamination of its workers.

The uranium is taken all over the world and used to kill the land and all its creatures. It’s destroying lives not only in Fukashima, with the reactor meltdown, but in the depleted uranium shells that children play with in the streets of Iraq and Kosovo.

With the governments numerous attempts to put a nuclear waste dump at Muckaty in the Northern Territory there is a danger that radioactive waste will be brought back, opening Australia up to accepting nuclear waste from all over the world. Lets stop the deadly cycle where it starts.

The land the lizard and the creatures of this earth are summoning everybody who gives a shit to the gates of Roxby Downs on the 14th of july 2012 for The Lizards Revenge – This is an open invitation to all people and a special call out to artists, musicians and activist community groups and media to get involved in the creation of this autonomous zone for the peace and healing of this land.

Party in a Dangerous Planet with Theatre, Cabaret and Art installations. Over 20 musical acts. Solar Powered sound system extravaganza and wind powered cinema. More to be announced…

Stand up and boogie down at the Gates of Olympic Dam 14th July 2012.

For more info email- izzybrown@live.com

Ongoing attempts by UK-based mining company Vedanta Resources to overturn an Indian government decision blocking a proposed bauxite mine and expansion of an alumina refinery in Orissa should not be allowed to succeed, new report by Amnesty International says.

The report, Generalisations, Omissions, Assumptions, reveals that the company has failed to adequately consider the human impact of its proposed projects with an investment of US$ 1,7 billion in Orissa.

See http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/india-vedanta-orissa-projects-ban-must-be-upheld-2011-07-24.

Vedanta Aluminium challenged the Ministry of Environment and Forest’s decision in the high court on November 2010.

See http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/orissa-high-court-rejects-vedanta-refinery-expansion-2011-07-19.

See also: Court rejects Vedanta plea for alumina refinery expansion, http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=108901.