Colombian Miners Expected to Meet with Govt, Continue Protests for 35th Day

Demonstrations have continued for a 35th day in the northwestern Colombian towns of Segovia and Remedios as ancestral and artisanal miners protest the expansion of multinational mining companies. Leaders from the sector are due to hold talks on Friday to discuss the government's policy which is said to favor foreign firms but inhibit smaller operators. 

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Almost 10,000 miners, who say their human rights have been violated, started their peaceful protests on July 21.

But there have been violent clashes between the protesters and Esmad, Colombia's national anti-riot squad.

At least 3 people have died and 30 others have been injured in the unrest. 

According to the Mining Bureau of Remedios and Segovia's President Eliober Castaneda, recently introduced legislation, Decree 1102, is preventing the local miners from operating their personal businesses and selling gold.

They claim banks are withholding their payments to the miners.

Local residents say the Colombian authorities have not yet tried to defuse the ongoing conflict between the miners and the multinational companies through dialogue. 

They accuse Esmad of using snipers positioned in public institutions such as hospitals and schools to launch attacks, preventing locals from using schools and other institutions. 

"In Segovia, in the province of Antioquia, children are afraid to go to study because of the presence of the Esmad," a local woman told Agencia Prensa Rural. 

Over 340,000 miners depend on small or medium scale mining for their livelihoods in the region.