The role of mercenaries, mercenary-related actors and private military and/or security companies (PMSCs) in the exploitation of natural resources.

Submission to the United Nations Working Group on the use of mercenaries to inform the Working Group's report to be presented to the 60th Session of the Human Rights Council in September 2025.

This submission updates and expands on MiningWatch Canada’s 2019 submission to the United Nations Working Group on the use of mercenaries with a focus on: 

In the face of rifts over securitization issues and calls for conservation, Aris Mining intends to launch the Soto Norte mine in Santander, Colombia, in 2029.

Lital Khaikin, NACLA

On February 19, our ejido will halt the Los Filos mine because mine management has refused to even respond to a letter in which we respectfully requested that they implement a clause for the inspection of contractors’ income within the mining operation project, as established in the social cooperation agreement. The clause was agreed to in this way so that the ejido can make adequate adjustments to ensure a balance in terms of income and access to employment, machinery and equipment.

This open letter was written by Proyecto Dulcepamba and was originally posted in Spanish here. Translation by MiningWatch Canada, who is also a signatory. 

On Monday, the Committee for the Defence of Water and Páramo of Santurbán, Colombia rallied outside the Ministry of the Environment in Bogota, Colombia. They presented more than 4,000 signatures to Vice Minister Mauricio Cabrera demanding that a Temporary Reserve Area in the Santurbán region of the Santander Department, northeastern Colombia, be put into effect immediately.

‘We've not been consulted,’ says Indigenous leader from Quito as countries announce conclusion of talks

Brett Forester, CBC News Indigenous

Ecuador's largest Indigenous organization is vowing to fight a now-concluded free trade agreement with Canada, warning it could encourage human rights abuses in the ecologically and culturally diverse South American country.

The Ejido of Carrizalillo has written an open letter to Equinox Gold CEO Greg Smith and Board Chairman Ross Beaty calling on the company to commit to fair negotiations of their temporary land use and social agreements for the operations of the Los Filos mine in Guerrero, Mexico. The agreements are set to expire at the end of March.

(Ottawa-Toronto-Quito-Cuenca) The proposed Canada-Ecuador Free Trade Agreement represents a dire threat to Indigenous rights in Ecuador and must be rejected by Canadian lawmakers, a coalition of Canadian civil society organizations said today, amplifying the concerns of Indigenous and women’s rights defenders in Ecuador.

The Amazonian Women Defenders of the Rainforest collective expresses its profound rejection of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Ecuador and Canada. This agreement has been negotiated in an opaque manner, without due consultation with the Indigenous Peoples, nor with the peasant, Montubia and Afro-descendant communities, whose rights and territories will be directly affected.