Central America
Guatemalan town locked in battle against nickel mine
AFP
The inhabitants of El Estor, a town of mostly indigenous 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 fishermen, mainly of the Mayan Q’eqchi’ indigenous group, say 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 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 four police officers wounded, and resulted in the government declaring a state of siege, complete with a month-long protest ban and a night curfew enforced by 1,000 police officers and soldiers deployed among the community of 100,000 people.
For three weeks before Sunday’s clashes, residents of El Estor had blocked truck access to the mine operated by the Guatemalan Nickel Company (CGN), a subsidiary of the Swiss-based Solway Investment Group.
“This company is bringing us death,” said Cristobal Pop, 44, a fisherman and protest leader who told AFP he will not be deterred by what he sees as the government’s “intimidation” measures.
“I have four children and they will bear the brunt” of the nickel mining operation, he said.
“My children’s future depends on me.”
– Fewer fish, more jobs –
Pop said that when he was a child, Lake Izabal — Guatemala’s largest — was replete with fish.
He says numbers have dwindled since the Fenix mine resumed nickel extraction and processing in 2014.
In 2017, a red slick spread over the lake, which the community blamed on mining pollution.
In resulting protests, Pop was imprisoned and his comrade Carlos Maaz shot dead.
This month, the community resumed demonstrations, accusing CGN of continuing to mine at Fenix despite a 2019 Constitutional Court order for it to suspend operations.
The court ruled in favor of local communities, who said they had not been consulted about the opening of the mine or its effects on them.
The government was ordered to open fresh consultations, but the people of El Estor say they are being excluded.
For its part, Solway said in a statement Sunday it was adhering to the court order. Extraction at Fenix has stopped, it said, but its processing plant was not affected by the ruling and continues to operate.
The company insisted it was doing all it can to minimize the environmental impact of its activities, investing in social infrastructure, and that its El Estor operations provided jobs for more than 1,900 people “and hundreds of local contractors.”
– A community divided –
Guatemala, Central America’s largest economy, exported 56 million kilograms (123 million pounds) of ferroalloys and ferronickel, mainly to China, in 2019, according to World Bank data.
Guatemala’s earnings from the metal grew from $10 million in 2018 to $54 million last year, and this year had already reached $62 million by August, according to Central Bank figures.
El Estor resident Abelino Chub told AFP the Fenix mine was dividing the community.
“Unfortunately, the pro-mining group only sees the money… but not the level of damage that this company is generating,” he said.
At the CGN headquarters, company president Dmitry Kudryakov told AFP the contamination allegations amounted to mere “speculation.”
He insisted the company adhered to international environmental standards, and said the 2017 red stain was a result of bacteria caused by sewage and fertilizer pollution of the Polochic River that flows into the lake.
Central America
Arrests and clashes in Tegucigalpa as vote count continues after Honduras election
Protesters affiliated with the ruling Liberty and Refoundation Party (Libre) gathered in a demonstration that led to several arrests, disturbances, the burning of tires, and left at least 15 people injured outside the center where votes from Honduras’ November 30 general election are still being counted.
The group assembled on Monday outside the National Institute for Professional Training (INFOP) in Tegucigalpa, after President Xiomara Castro called on supporters through social media, claiming that a “new coup d’état” was being plotted in Honduras.
“I call on the people, social movements, grassroots organizations, party militants and citizens to urgently and peacefully gather in Tegucigalpa to defend the popular mandate, reject any coup attempt and make it clear to the world that a new coup is taking shape here,” the president said.
Castro has stated that she does not recognize the partial election results, which currently place right-wing candidate Nasry Asfura in the lead with 40.54% of the vote, followed closely by liberal candidate Salvador Nasralla with 39.20%. The ruling party’s candidate, Rixi Moncada, remains in a distant third place with 19.30%, with no realistic chance of a comeback.
Both the Libre Party and the Liberal Party, led by Castro and Nasralla respectively, have alleged electoral fraud. On Tuesday, the two parties agreed to participate in the special review panels that the National Electoral Council (CNE) says will finalize the count by reexamining 1,081 polling records flagged for irregularities.
Former president Manuel Zelaya, Castro’s husband and a senior figure within Libre, said last week that according to his party’s own nationwide tally of presidential ballots, Nasralla—a former Libre member—won the election.
Central America
Bukele says AI partnership with xAI will transform public education in El Salvador
President Nayib Bukele stated on Monday that the implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI), with the support of Elon Musk’s company xAI, will help redefine the future of public education in El Salvador.
“El Salvador and xAI will redefine the future of public education. Children will not use Grok the same way we use it,” the president wrote on X.
Last week, Bukele and Musk announced a partnership to provide personalized tutoring through the AI assistant Grok for all students enrolled in public schools across the country.
This pioneering alliance between the Government of El Salvador and xAI represents the launch of the world’s first national education program powered by artificial intelligence.
“Grok will be used in all public schools in El Salvador over the next two years. More than one million students will receive personalized tutoring. Thousands of teachers will receive assistance and support as partners in the educational process,” the president explained.
Meanwhile, FMLN Secretary General Manuel Flores described the incorporation of AI into public school education as “reckless,” arguing that many schools still lack basic services such as electricity and internet access.
“Schools do not even have desks. They said: ‘All schools will have internet’; that promise was not fulfilled. And others used to say: ‘The only promises that matter are the ones that are kept,’” Flores said during his regular Monday press conference.
Flores questioned who would teach artificial intelligence classes, noting that in some areas schools lack televisions or electricity. “How are they going to have internet? Starlink [satellite internet service] has already been announced five times,” he added.
He further labeled the AI-driven education program promoted by President Bukele as “another lie,” comparing it to the “Two Schools a Day” initiative, which he claimed is “pure propaganda.”
The “Two Schools a Day” program was announced earlier this year and involves the construction or reconstruction of public schools nationwide to improve educational quality. The project is being implemented by government institutions such as the National Directorate of Municipal Works.
Central America
El Salvador ranks among top countries in the Americas in fight against organized crime
El Salvador has positioned itself as the country in the Americas with the strongest performance in the Global Organized Crime Index (GOCI), ranking 18th out of 35 countries in the region and 77th out of 193 nations worldwide that are engaged in the fight against organized crime.
According to the index, El Salvador outperforms Mexico, which ranks 2nd in the Americas and 3rd globally, as well as the United States, which holds the 14th position in the Americas and 60th worldwide.
The Global Organized Crime Index evaluates multiple indicators, including criminal markets, human trafficking and smuggling, extortion, arms trafficking, counterfeit goods trade, illicit trade in excisable goods, environmental crimes involving flora and fauna, crimes against non-renewable resources, heroin, cocaine, cannabis and synthetic drug trafficking, cyber-dependent crimes, financial crimes, mafia-style groups and criminal networks.
Within Central America, El Salvador surpasses Panama, which ranks 8th in the Americas and 21st globally; Costa Rica, ranked 13th in the region and 58th worldwide; Nicaragua, ranked 16th and 69th; Honduras, positioned 5th in the Americas and 13th globally; and Guatemala, which holds 9th place in the Americas and 25th worldwide.
Belize is the only Central American country ranked above El Salvador, placing 23rd in the Americas and 103rd globally. However, while El Salvador climbed 25 positions compared to its 2023 ranking—improving from 52nd to 77th—Belize dropped three positions, moving from 106th in 2023 to 103rd in the current index.
El Salvador’s progress in combating organized crime also surpasses that of several countries across the Americas, including Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Chile and Paraguay, all of which rank lower both regionally and globally.
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