Quito.- At least four people were injured after a clash between gangs seeking to control illegal mining in the Buenos Aires area of the Andean province of Imbabura in northern Ecuador, the Ministry of the Interior reported on Sunday.” According to information provided by the local comuneros, a confrontation would have taken place between groups seeking control of illegal mining in the area,” the Ministry said in a statement.
The wounded have been moved to health houses in the city of Ibarra, the provincial capital of Imbabura, as well as to Quito, specified the Interior’s portfolio and stated that they are under police protection.
In addition, law enforcement officers are in the Buenos Aires area to investigate the facts and identify and detain groups that apparently dispute control of illegal mining.
At the end of 2017, an gold field was announced in Buenos Aires’ La Merced parish, which generated a massive influx of illegal miners to that area, which was previously dedicated exclusively to agricultural and livestock production. On 4 June, the Ecuadorian government presented its new mining policy, which seeks to be more environmentally friendly but also more severe against illegal mining. The Government of Ecuador expects mining to grow by between 1.6% and 4% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2021.Ecuador expects an investment of $3.8 billion in its mining sector by 2021, as part of a strategy to generate new engines of development that will also help sustain its economy. Mining policy, which has received advice from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), seeks to incorporate best practices in the planning of the sector, but also to curb illegal mining that causes harm to the environment, economy and industry itself, according to the authorities. Ecuador has considerable mining reserves, but it had not fully delved into its exploitation due to environmental impact, which usually generates protests by indigenous groups and other nature advocacy groups.
