Yet Another Indigenous Land Defender Killed in Guatemala Resisting Canadian Mining
On May 14, 2025, Misael Mata Acensio was shot dead. Misael was part of the 54 Maya Q’eqchi’ communities defending Mountain 1019 of the Sierra Santa Cruz in eastern Guatemala against illegal incursions of Montreal-based Central America Nickel (CAN).
Misael was killed just days after Rights Action’s educational road-trip in Guatemala (“Global order, injustice and resistance in Guatemala”, a bi-annual course offered by Professor Catherine Nolin of the University of Northern British Columbia) met in Rio Dulce with villagers from the 54 communities involved in the land, rights and environmental defense struggle against the mining incursions of CAN (Central America Nickel).
Background
Nickel mining threatens Sierra Santa Cruz. Livingston communities demand protection
By Juan Bautista Xol, Prensa Comunitaria, May 5, 2025
(translated by Rights Action)
https://prensacomunitaria.org/2025/05/mineria-de-niquel-amenaza-la-sierra-santa-cruz-comunidades-de-livingston-exigen-su-proteccion/
Representatives of the 54 communities traveled to the capital city with their own resources on April 24 to meet in the Congress of the Republic, with the three deputies from Izabal, Edgardo Ramírez, Juan Ramón Rivas and Thelma Ramírez, and the ministers of Energy and Mines and Environment. The meeting was also attended by the departmental governor of Izabal Carlos Tenas and the municipal mayor of Livingston, Enrique Xol.
The meeting was to demand the immediate cancellation of any mining license to the company Río Nickel [owned by Montreal-based Central America Nickel], which intends to operate in the Sierra Santa Cruz, located in the municipalities of Livingston and El Estor, Izabal, as well as Chahal and Cahabón, Alta Verapaz. Representatives of the 54 communities demanded that authorities protect the special protection area, Sierra Santa Cruz, which they say is threatened by the interest of mining companies. The authorities deny that mining exploration and exploitation licenses have been issued in the area.
The community members point out that the mining operation in the mountains would contaminate the rivers and water sources which is why they reject the extractive activities. “We do not want mining and we demand the cancellation of the licenses, we want a favorable outcome for our people,” the community members told authorities at the meeting.
Although the Ministers of Environment and Energy and Mines indicated to the community that there are no mining licenses in Izabal, the villagers presented documents indicating that licenses were granted in 2022 and 2023 during the government of Alejandro Giammattei.
For the community authorities, these licenses are an outrage and a mockery for the population of Livingston because they were granted through a deceitful and discriminatory consultation during a government that is accused of serious corruption crimes.
It was in 2019 that one of the nickel mining companies in Izabal [Solway Investment Group, of Switzerland] was denounced for delivering alleged bribes to the former president Giammattei to obtain mining licenses in that department and to obtain control of the port Santo Tomas de Castilla, place where the two nickel companies operate, both sanctioned by the US Treasury Department through the Magnitsky Act, as published by the Spanish newspaper El País in its report The president of Guatemala is investigated for alleged bribes from Russian businessmen [associated with Solway Investment Group].
“Ministers, why do you tell us that there are no mining companies if here is the evidence, here is evidence that the consultation was made, but it was a consultation under deceit because we were not consulted, much less the municipality”, expressed the women.
“We cannot live without water”.
Enrique Che, ancestral authority in the Rio Pita community, assures that they defend the Sierra Santa Cruz because it harbors flora and fauna. The destruction of the hill could cause the loss of natural resources
“We can live without electricity but we cannot live without water, that is why we are fighting to demand the cancellation of the license, we do not want a mining company to destroy our hill as is happening in El Estor,” said Che referring to the activity of the mining company Compañía Guatemalteca de Níquel (PRONICO) in that municipality.
Among the demands of the community members is that the state authorities expedite the protection of the environment, and that they make sure to carry out inspections in the areas, since the communities have carried out inspections and in each of them they have found holes, marked trees, camps and industrial boots that could have been used for the drilling of the hill.
All of this has been screened as evidence in Congress. Although the residents showed evidence of what they consider to be mining activity already taking place in Cerro Santa Cruz, Congressman Edgardo Ramírez, deputy for Izabal, affirmed in a publication on the social network Facebook that what is taking place is illegal logging.
This after an inspection carried out by the Nature Protection Division (DIPRONA), the National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP) and other institutions on April 9.
This inspection took place one day after the community members freed the road that had been taken over by the communities in the jurisdiction of the San Antonio Sejá community.
With determination, the women said that they do not need environmental or technical studies to know if there is a possibility of a mining operation and they demand that the protected area be respected.
“Environmental and technical studies are not necessary, we demand that the protected area be respected, it is important to us because we depend on the vital liquid,” said the community members.
Enrique Xol, the municipal mayor, assured that he continues to support his people and reject mining and demanded that the Ministries of Environment and Energy and Mines respect his people and not make fun of them.
Meanwhile, departmental governor Carlos Tenas and congressman Ramírez asked for a road map to be drawn up and for an audit to be initiated to investigate the mining licenses and then move forward with their cancellation.
60-year Nightmare of Fenix Mine in Q’eqchi’ territories of Panzos, El Estor, Livingston
1964-2004: INCO (Canadian owner) and EXMIBAL (subsidiary in Guatemala)
2004-2008: Skye Resources (Canadian, incorporated by former INCO directors) and CGN (new name of EXMIBAL)
2008-2011: Hudbay Minerals (Canadian, bought mine from Skye Resources) and CGN
2011-Present: Solway Investment Group (Swiss, with Russian investors) and CGN / PRONICO
2024-Present: Fenix Nickel Company (USA), newly incorporated subsidiary of Solway Investment Group
2024-Present: Central America Nickel (Canada) and Rio Niquel (Guatemala subsidiary)
Occurring in waves over this entire time, mining in this Q’eqchi’ region of the Sierra Santa Cruz has been characterized by corruption, forced evictions and land theft, human rights violations including killings, rapes, lawfare (criminalizing community defenders), environmental and health harms and, for the most part, complete impunity in Guatemala and in the home countries of the companies (mainly Canada, also Switzerland and most recently the U.S.).
The recent settlements of landmark Hudbay Minerals lawsuits (Oct.7, 2024 press release: https://rightsaction.org) are a hugely important exception to this almost iron clad norm of impunity.
Corrupted, repressive government of President Giammattei
The Rio Dulce community members we met with find it incredible that yet another mining company arrives in the Q’eqchi region – this time, Rio Nickel (Central de América Nickel) -, claiming to have the needed mining licenses, when they knew nothing about this whatsoever.
They reminded us CAN/Rio Niguel’s alleged licenses were granted during the government of President Alejandro Giammattei who is directly implicated in corruption schemes with mining companies in this region and who allegedly received financial benefits from drug traffickers.
Cynical hypocrisy
Furthermore, Giammattei is barred from entering the U.S. and Canada due to this alleged corruption, yet the U.S. and Canada imposed sanctions on Giammattei only after he left office in January 2024. During his entire time in office, the U.S. and Canada referred to the Guatemalan government as a “democratic ally”, maintaining and pushing for expanded North American investments and business interests in the country. (More information: Rights Action, April 10, 2025)
Call by Q’eqchi’ people
Rights Action supports this call of the Q’eqchi’ people for:
Suspension: Immediate suspension of all mining operations in Q'eqchi' region of El Estor, Panzos, Livingston.
Investigatory commission: Formation of a commission to investigate violences and harms of mining against Q’eqchi’ people and the environment between 2004-2024.
Reparations: Preparation of a compensation plan for people and communities that suffered the violences and harms.
Consultation process: Then, implementation of a consultation process, based on prior and complete information in the Q'eqchi' language to decide if mining operations might continue in the future.
Rights Action calls on organizations and people - particularly in Canada, Switzerland and the U.S., home to the mining companies – to initiate, or continue with your education and activism work to pressure our governments, and our mining companies to stop all mining, and to comply with these fair and balanced demands of the Q’eqchi’ people.
Settlement of landmark Hudbay Minerals lawsuits
Press release: https://rightsaction.org
TESTIMONIO–Canadian Mining in the Aftermath of Genocides in Guatemala
Edited by Catherine Nolin & Grahame Russell (Between The Lines, 2021)
https://www.testimoniothebook.org/