Mining

Madagascar : Locals oppose development of mines at Soamahamanina

Friday, 30 September 2016 14:54

In Madagascar, refusing to move from their homes, the people of Soamahamanina are preventing mining firm Jiuxing Mines from developing gold, zinc, iron, lead and beryllium projects it has there. To oppose the Chinese firm, locals formed VONA, an association that “defends their land, homes, livelihoods, the graves of their people, their natural resources, and preserve the church and school that the miner plans to destroy”.

Disregarding the environmental licence of the firm, which is the last step before getting approval for exploitation, the people of Soamahamanina said mining would negatively impact the environment. The government however gave no favorable answer to their plea, ignoring protests and ultimatum by the populations that passed last September 21.

The situation got worse as the police arrested two leaders of VONA namely Pierre Robson and Tsihoarana Andrianony, after a protest last September 22. Denouncing the “unbearable pressure, fostered by laws in place, from the authorities to turn Madagascar into an Eldorado for mining companies”, the group for the defense of Madagascar’s lands (TANY) launched an international call demanding the release of arrested leaders and for the claims of the people to be met.

After getting environmental authorization on May 26, 2016, the Chinese firm got a 40-year operating licence for its project at Soamahamanina and its neighboring community Arivonimamo II, as well as an exclusive area reservation permit at Morafeno.

With a population of 14,000, Soamahamanina is located in the Miarinarivo district, 70 km from Antananarivo, the capital.

Louis-Nino Kansoun

On the same topic
New sovereign fund will channel mining and oil revenues into development Three sub-funds target infrastructure, stability, and long-term...
Six major producers receive export quotas under tighter controls Policy aims to curb fraud and regulate lithium shipments Government pushes firms to...
Two agreements signed to develop cross-border power interconnection Project aims to secure Namibia’s electricity supply Line will link both countries...
Oman supports 500 MW solar plant with battery storage Fuel storage deal aims to strengthen energy security Botswana still relies heavily on coal and...
Most Read
01

Driven by above-average growth and rapidly expanding demographics, Francophone Africa is emerging as...

Francophone Africa: A Rising Economic Giant With Weak Internal Trade
02

Algeria launches bid for two NGSO satellite telecom licenses Move aims to expand broadband ac...

Algeria Opens Satellite Market to Competition, Inviting Global Operators
03

EBID aims to allocate nearly 41% of its commitments to environmentally and socially impactful projec...

EBID Charts Green Shift to Finance West Africa’s Growth
04

Coca-Cola unit trains 260+ SMEs in Namibia business skills Program targets women, youth, disabled...

Over 260 Namibian SME Owners Trained as Sector Faces Mounting Losses
05

Four major operators—Mauritel, Mattel, Rimatel, and Chinguitel—submitted a combined bid of ...

Mauritanian Telecom Operators Submit $27 Million Combined Bid for 5G Licenses
Enter your email to receive our newsletter

Ecofin Agency provides daily coverage of nine key African economic sectors: public management, finance, telecoms, agribusiness, mining, energy, transport, communication, and education.
It also designs and manages specialized media, both online and print, for African institutions and publishers.

SALES & ADVERTISING

regie@agenceecofin.com 
Tél: +41 22 301 96 11 
Mob: +41 78 699 13 72


EDITORIAL
redaction@agenceecofin.com

More information
Team
Publisher

ECOFIN AGENCY

Mediamania Sarl
Rue du Léman, 6
1201 Geneva
Switzerland

 

Ecofin Agency is a sector-focused economic news agency, founded in December 2010. Its web platform was launched in June 2011. ©Mediamania.

 
 

Please publish modules in offcanvas position.