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APNU demands unhindered access to Marudi mines
…claims of gunpoint extortion, foreign criminals, and fatal negligence
(Kaieteur News) – Parliamentary Lead for A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Dr. Terrence Campbell has issued a formal ultimatum to the Ministry of Natural Resources, demanding unrestricted access to the Marudi Mines in September.
Dr. Campbell’s demand follows a list of alleged crimes, cover-ups, and safety failures that have occurred in the area.
This matter traces back to March 26, 2026, when a parliamentary delegation, comprising Dr. Campbell, Sharma Solomon, Saiku Andrews, and Sherod Duncan, was physically barred from entering the mining zone by Newell Dennison, Commissioner of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).
Dr. Terrence Campbell speaks during a video recording.
Dr. Campbell called the blockade illegal. “The only lawful basis for such an obstruction would have been major ongoing roadworks,” he said noting, “There were none.”
The Rupununi Mining Association (RMA), allegedly controlled by Romel McKenzie and Vivekanand Dalip, had leaned on its supposed “accident-free record since October 2024” to justify the government’s blockade. That defence collapsed on April 5, 2026, when a Brazilian national was electrocuted to death on site.
“Clearly, all is not well in terms of the safety of the people working in the Marudi Mines area,” Dr. Campbell said. The fatality, he argues, is not an isolated tragedy — it is the inevitable consequence of an operation shielded from oversight.
The RMA was struck off the register by the Ministry of Labour in May 2023. It has continued operating regardless, functioning as a cooperative with apparent impunity.
Video footage emerging from the interior tells a grimmer story. Dr. Campbell cited recordings showing small miners being coerced at gunpoint, their equipment seized by security personnel allegedly acting on behalf of RMA executive Vivekanand Dalip.
“All small miners got bills to pay,” Dr. Campbell said, “and this is what Mr. Dalip do in the backdams with his security — bullying people and collecting their machines with guns.”
Dr. Campbell has alleged that a significant share of the major mining operations at Marudi are currently under the control of two Brazilian nationals who are actively wanted by law enforcement in Brazil. He also raised concerns about widespread undocumented foreign labour, rampant gold smuggling, severe environmental degradation, and the systematic destruction of interior roads by heavy tankers operating during the rainy season.
In an official letter dated June 15, 2026, addressed to Permanent Secretary Joslyn McKenzie, Dr. Campbell requested formal authorisation for a ten-person multi-disciplinary team — comprising MPs, trade unionists, mining experts, and members of the press — to enter Marudi in September. The team’s mandate would include independent audits of health and safety compliance, investigation into the unlawful seizure of miners’ equipment, environmental risk assessments, and direct interviews with vulnerable workers.
The Ministry of Natural Resources has until June 30, 2026, to provide written confirmation and logistical clearance.
“Under no circumstances should we be prevented from entering Marudi,” he said adding “To Marudi, we will return.”
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