Journalists Edith Febles and Germán Marte interviewed Catholic priest Johnny Duran from the Monseñor Nouel Diocese who was injured during a protest against the forced eviction of residents as part of preparations to make way for a new tailings dam by Barrick Gold in the northcentral Sanchez Ramirez province.
The second tailings dam in the province seeks to extend the life of the Barrick Gold Pueblo Viejo operation. The company had sought to build the mining wastes dam in another province but met with strong opposition. Finally, the Ministry of Environment authorized the construction in the same Sanchez Ramirez province.
Father Johnny Durán explained during the interview he was mediating between eviction forces and the residents when the incident occurred in Tres Bocas, where residents have been protesting against their displacement.
“I was begging the police not to keep firing tear gas into the homes. I was trying to protect the community,” Father Durán said. “I don’t know what hit me.”
The proposed tailings dam would require the displacement of 850 families, a move the community argues has been carried out without providing adequate relocation options.
Barrick Gold says that the relocation project calls for RD$18 billion investment in the building of new communities for those that will be displaced.
As reported in Hoy, on 8 January 2025, residents were alerted that Barrick Gold would bring in heavy machinery. Police and military forces arrived around 3am, prompting residents to block the roads.
According to Father Johnny Durán, of the Santa Cura de Ars church in Sonador, Monseñor Nouel province, eight people were injured in the ensuing clashes. “They didn’t even spare the children. It was an attack that would break the heart of the most callous,” he lamented.
While the machinery was temporarily withdrawn, law enforcement remained in the area. By 9am, a group of priests led by Father Durán had arrived to mediate and alert national authorities to the tense situation. However, after a meeting with Barrick Gold representatives, Father Durán accused the company of being inflexible.
Father Durán denounced the presence of over 200 armed officers in the area as an excessive show of force. “Yesterday, it was clear that Barrick Gold is the one who rules this country,” he asserted, vowing that the community would continue their fight.
Fernando Peña, a member of the Social Commission of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), supported the priest’s allegations, stating that “the communities were brutally attacked. It’s a very serious situation.”
Peña explained that the tailings dam Barrick Gold intends to build would serve as a repository for toxic waste generated by mining operations. “A tailings dam is a toxic mud lagoon that, from the moment it comes into contact with the air, contaminates and generates a phenomenon called acid rain,” he warned.
Peña added that the community has presented studies to Congress, the Ministry of Energy and Mines, and Barrick Gold itself, but has yet to receive a response. He warned that the dam “not only poses risks due to its nature but also because any collapse could send all that toxic mud to the coast of Nagua in just five hours. That is extremely serious.”
Both Father Durán and Peña emphasized that the government, not the company, is primarily responsible for relocating the families. “Barrick doesn’t buy land, Barrick has no responsibility for this. They don’t own the land, they don’t pay. The Dominican government pays,” Peña asserted.
Father Durán stressed that the community needs the support of civil society and the authorities, as “they are poor and humble people.”
According to witnesses, the operation, which involved the use of tear gas and firearms, left several injured and created a climate of chaos and outrage among residents.
Durán, who was attempting to mediate the situation, denounced the authorities’ indiscriminate actions. “This has been a brutal attack. They have shot unarmed people and entered homes, regardless of whether there were children or families inside,” he said.
The priest and community leader stated that the community began the protests with their hands raised in a sign of peace. “We are unarmed; we just want to be heard, but the response has been violence,” he expressed, visibly affected.
Barrick Gold has the environmental license to build the second tailings dam to store the toxic wastes from gold production.
Minister of Mines and Energy Joel Santos was named to the position in August 2024. Previously he served as Minister of the Presidency. He has been president of the National Hotel & Tourism Association and the National Young Entrepreneurs Association (Anje).
Santos is related to Juana Barceló, the president of Barrick Gold in the Dominican Republic, through his wife, Hato Mayor deputy Carmen Ligia Barceló, a first cousin.
He announced on Thursday, 9 January that he will initiate talks between local communities and Barrick Pueblo Viejo to facilitate continued geological studies for the construction of a tailings dam. The discussions also aim to ensure fair compensation for community members whose properties are affected by the project, as reported in El Dia.
Santos emphasized that the dialogue would include the participation of the Ombudsman’s Office and other relevant societal stakeholders to help mediate and strengthen the process.
The minister clarified that the incident on Wednesday was not an eviction but rather an effort to clear the way for teams conducting geological studies, ensuring unobstructed access for their work.
In his remarks, Santos underscored the significant role the mining sector plays in the Dominican Republic’s economic development, particularly in generating foreign exchange and providing economic stability. In 2023, Barrick Gold’s exports from the Dominican Republic, specifically from the Pueblo Viejo mine, amounted to approximately US$1.13 billion.
Santos reaffirmed his commitment to dialogue, urging all parties to collaborate for the successful advancement of the expansion project, which he said would contribute to both the country’s economic growth and social development through sustainable mining practices.
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London Mining Network
13 January 2025