Venezuelan Armed Forces Destroy Illegal Mining Material in the Amazon

FANB soldiers at the Venezuelan Amazon region, Aug. 20., 2024. Photo: X/ @LaCronicaDeHoy

August 21, 2024 Hour: 10:20 am

This happened as part of ‘Neblina 2024’, a security operation created to protect forest reserves and biosphere reserves.

On Tuesday, Domingo Hernandez, the strategic operational commander of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB), announced that his troops destroyed equipment used for illegal mining in the Carida sector in the state of Amazonas.

More specifically, he reported the destruction of nine motor pumps, eight 220-liter plastic drums, 20 meters of hose, 40 meters of black plastic, and other materials. The destruction of this equipment was carried out as part of ‘Neblina 2024,’ an operation created to protect national parks and monuments, forest reserves, and biosphere reserves.

Commander Hernandez reminded that mining and hydrocarbon exploitation are “completely prohibited” in Amazonas and called for individual and collective awareness among citizens.

In July, Venezuelan environmental organizations warned about the presence of informal artisanal miners in the protected territories of the Venezuelan Amazon, where Brazilian metal or precious stone seekers known as “garimpeiros” often venture.

En el marco de la Operación Escudo Bolivariano “Neblina 2024” para la protección del territorio Amazónico, en concordancia con lo establecido en el 5to objetivo del Plan de la Patria, las 7T, la CRBV, planes de seguridad y defensa, Ley Penal del Ambiente y Ley de Aguas, #FANB en… pic.twitter.com/LiaBdPHeRe
— GJ. Domingo Hernández Lárez (@dhernandezlarez) August 20, 2024

The text reads, “During ground patrol and reconnaissance operations, the FANB located, dismantled and destroyed material used for illegal mining in the Carida sector. This occurred within the framework of Operation Bolivarian Shield ‘Neblina 2024’ for the protection of the Amazonian territory, in accordance with the provisions of the 5th objective of the Homeland Plan, the 7T, the CRBV, security and defense plans, the environmental criminal law, and the water law.”

Previously, in response to the existence of these practices in that jungle region, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced that his administration would seek to regulate mining through a productive, ecological, and preservation-oriented concept.

In March, the FANB evicted over 10,000 people who were engaged in illegal mining in the states of Amazonas and Bolivar, on the border with Brazil.

The Venezuelan Amazon is home to great biodiversity and is rich in natural, cultural, and mineral resources. Around 2.3 million people live in this region, including the largest Indigenous population in Venezuela.

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— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) August 21, 2024