The inhabitants of El Estor, a town of mostly Mayans in eastern Guatemala, are living under a “state of siege,” watched over by armed soldiers after their years-long fight against a nickel mine took an ominous turn.
El Estor’s subsistence fishers, mainly of the Mayan Q’eqchi’ community, say that the Fenix mine is polluting Lake Izabal, diminishing stocks of fish that were abundant just a generation ago.
The mine’s owners deny the allegation, saying that adequate environmental protections are in place.
Frustrated, residents mounted a protest against the mine on Sunday that was put down by security forces using tear gas.
The confrontation left