In April 2013, the Guatemalan Ministry of Energy and Mines granted Tahoe Resources an exploitation license for the Escobal mining project. After that, the conflict around the mine escalated. On 2 May 2013, the government of Guatemala declared a state of emergency in and around San Rafael Las Flores, a town some 90 kilometres from the capital, following a series of violent incidents around the mining operation of Minera San Rafael, a subsidiary of the Canada and US-based Tahoe Resources Inc. Previously, in January 2013, unknown armed men attacked the mine site resulting in the deaths of two security guards and another person, presumed to be part of the group attacking the site. For more information, see:
Indigenous leader shot
On 16 January 2021, Xinca defender Julio David González Arango was shot by an armed man on a property he owns in Mataquescuintla, a town in the Jalapa department, south-east Guatemala. Julio González is now safe and recovering from injuries. He has been a public leader defending the rights of the Xinca people against the Pan American Silver’s Escobal mine and has been attacked in the past due to his work. We call on the Guatemala’s General Attorney to conduct a prompt, independent, and impartial investigation into the attack against Julio González and any other previous aggression against the Xinca People. TAKE ACTION