Some residents, moreover, signed land access agreements with American mining corporation Newmont without understanding the content of the contract. Residents have also reported that mining company representatives have entered their land without permission, digging holes in their farmland and taking rock and core samples. Residents of communities living within the ambit of mining permits fear that, with the Haitian government catering to foreign mining companies, the loss of their homes and livelihoods are just a matter of when these companies decide to break ground on mines. These permits were granted in violation of Haitian law, without first conducting an adequate environmental and social impact assessment, and without consulting the communities living on the land. and Canadian companies to explore land occupied by dozens of communities in the northern region of Haiti. Nesner explained that the mining industry “brutally evicts peasants from their farmlands and causes serious damage to the already degraded environment.” Between 20, the Haitian government granted more than 50 mining permits to three U.S. More recently, the development of the Caracol Industrial Park following the devastating 2010 earthquake received substantial funding from the United States and displaced 4000 people almost overnight without any meaningful compensation.įoreign businesses, countries, and international bodies, such as the U.S.-dominated Core Group, continue to have immense influence over Haitian politics and development, overshadowing the voices of the Haitian people. occupation of Haiti, more than seven percent of Haiti's land was given or sold to U.S. He explained- and a December Ayibopost article details-that land grabs are often facilitated by corrupt government officials who receive material benefits from business elites.įoreign actors have long played a role in the crisis of land grabbing in Haiti. Land in Haiti for farming is already in short supply.Īccording to Nesner and other advocates, land is often granted to wealthy business owners or to foreign companies to grow crops for export or to extract minerals from the soil. Mining causes extensive damage to large amounts of land and has led to the displacement of communities all over the world. Many times, land grabbing takes place under the threat of violence and without adequate compensation for the loss of their land. Nesner highlighted that, in Haiti, centuries of repeated expropriation of land-in other words, land grabbing-have forcibly removed farmers and their families from their homes, especially in rural communities. Samuel Nesner, executive secretary of the Cultural Society of Young Haitians (SOKIJA) and former animator of Kolektif Jistis Min (KJM), a coalition of Haitian civil society organizations and community activists, testified about the ongoing violent theft of land from farmers in rural Haiti and the risks that the development of mining in Haiti poses to human rights and the environment. In a hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) last fall, advocates and experts from five Caribbean countries-Haiti, Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Bahamas-presented on the impact of extractive industries on human rights and climate change in the Caribbean. Haitian people are not alone in their concern over the impacts of mining. Residents on land subject to mining permits, though, have long identified the development of the mining industry as a threat to their communities and livelihoods. There are no active metal mines in Haiti. and Canadian companies positioned to extract it. The Director’s words were not new but brought renewed attention to the gold in Haitian soil and to the U.S. In January, the Director of Haiti’s Office of Mines and Energy (BME) stated that mining is essential to the future of Haiti’s economy. Despite examples from other countries in the region that are banning mining, Haitian government officials, along with the World Bank, continue to propose mining as a solution to the country’s economic problems.
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