Latest update April 17th, 2025 6:18 AM
Trouble with Marudi Mountains mining…Deal hammered out between Amerindian villages, company
Over the weekend, a team from the Ministry of Natural Resources facilitated a mediation process aimed at resolving conflicts that had escalated between large scale mining company, Romanex, miners, and several
Local miners protesting the mining in Marudi Mountains area last year.
Amerindian communities in South Rupununi, Region Nine.
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, as the ground-breaking meeting concluded, the parties approved and signed an agreement that will chart the course forward for mining in the Marudi Mountains.
The mediation process had its genesis at a meeting held at Aishalton Village, in March with Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, and stakeholders from South Rupununi, Region Nine.
According to the ministry, at the meeting, several concerns were raised of which, the conflicts related to mining in the Marudi Mountains was most prominent.
“The Minister had committed to facilitating a mediation process among the parties involved and subsequently appointed Maj. Gen. (ret’d) Joe Singh to do so. During the process the Maj. Gen. (ret’d) Joe Singh’s knowledge and experience provided an excellent foundation on which parties were able to express their concerns, while his skill and tact as a mediator was a key ingredient in helping them to arrive at a consensus and sign on to the principles that will govern their interactions.”
Representative from the Romanex Company, Marshall Mintz, also expressed his gratitude to the Major General, observing how chaotic the process would have been, had it not been mediated. “The Ministry of Natural Resources is very pleased with the outcome of this historic process which is the first of its kind in Guyana. He is thankful to Maj. Gen. (ret’d) Joe Singh and representatives from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) who formed the Technical team. The Ministry is also appreciative of the commitment of representatives from the Rupununi Miners Association, Guyana Women Miners Organization (GWMO), the Romanex Mining Company, and leaders from the neighbouring Amerindian communities of Aishalton, Awariwaunau, Karaudanawa, Achiwuib, Maruranau, and Shea for their flexibility in crafting a workable agreement.”
The ministry said that all stakeholders will continue to work together to put into practice, the principles agreed upon during the mediation.
Amerindians had complained that the licence to mine issued by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), to mining company Romanex Guyana Exploration Limited, for operations, would have affected their way of life.
It was issued under the previous People’s Progressive Party/Civic government.
The Amerindians in the area had said that they depend on the headwaters of the mountain and the surrounding area for their daily food sustenance and in any case were not properly consulted when the licence was issued.
Gold has been known to occur in the Marudi Area since 1934, when Government geologists became aware of artisanal mining in the district. The deposit has been exploited more or less continuously by local artisans since that time. Production from the concession area is unknown but estimates inferred from the size of old workings and the observed grades of material range to over 100,000 ounces of gold.
The mining will take place about 50 kilometres from the nearest indigenous Wapichan community of Aishalton, where an estimated 1, 200 people live.
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