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Newsletter #14 
Venezuela: Producer of Blood Gold
Intensive illegal mining on the Ikabarú-Santa Elena de Uairén axis (Bolivar)
Intensive mining on the Ikabarú River (Bolivar) - January 4, 2020 image
Our Main News
  • More evidence in early 2020 shows that Nicolas Maduro's Venezuela has become the world's largest producer and exporter of Blood Gold.
  • In his speech at Davos World Economic Forum interim President of Venezuela Juan Guaidó asked the international community to help detain the "assassination of the Venezuela Amazon", human rights abuses of indigenous peoples in Venezuela and trafficking of BloodGold by the Maduro Regime, fueled by the Orinoco Mining Arc mining policy. See video 
  • in his speech about his recent international tour, interim President Juan Guaido again denounced the use of Blood Gold to finance the Colombian ELN guerrilla movement and paramilitary organizations at the service of the Maduro regime See video
  • Very high resolution satellite images of illegal mines on the Ikabarú River reveal the expansion of deforestation, destruction of the river and mercury-contaminated ponds resulting from mining and contribute to the Malaria epidemic: See video
  • A new Human Rights Watch report on the horrific abuse of human rights in Venezuelan mines: Read document 
  • On a recent trip to Paris, members of SOSOrinoco were interviewed by French newspaper "Le Parisien" Read article
  • El Callao, Bolivar state: at least 20 miners were buried and died when an old mine collapsed in El Callao (apparently only three bodies have been recovered). See article
SOSOrinoco recommends the following reports on mining and the trafficking of criminal Blood Gold:
The Malaria Epidemic in Venezuela
Percentage of Malaria cases in the Americas, 2018
Percentage of Malaria cases in Venezuela, totals for the continent, 2000-2018
According to the latest reports by Alianza Venezolana por la Salud there are close to 450,000 new cases of Malaria in 2019, for a total of almost 900,000 in Venezuela, 90% of which are South of the Orinoco. 
New videos of high resolution satellite images of Ikabarú & Yapacana
Video - 2019 High resolution satellite images of illegal mines on the Ikabarú River 

Translation of the video subtitles
Sentinel 2 satellite image dated December 5, 2019. An area of intensive illegal gold mining is visible on the left and right banks of the Ikabarú River, tributary of the upper Caroni basin. Mercury is used to process the gold. There is a village with a landing strip and deforested areas in the vicinity. Access to this area is only possible by air or water. All mining activity is ILLEGAL because this region is the Protective Zone of Southern Bolivar State, within the limits of the National Hidraulic Reserve of the Ikabarú River. In addition, these mining areas are outside the so called Arco Minero, also technically illegal, and is destroying the tropical forests. 
Video of Yapacana National Park (Amazonas, Venezuela) - An Oct 2019 Sentinel 2A satellite image reveals the new extension of the ecocide

Translation of the video subtitles
Gold mines under the control of the Colombian guerrilla FARC inside Yapacana National Park in Venezuelan Amazonas increased in size by 238 hectares over 5 years (2014-2019). This Sentinel 2A image of October 9, 2019 reveals the new extension of the mines. Red polygons show the expansion of these illegal mines (more than 1,290 hectares)  NP Yapacana is being destroyed by the FARC, in collaboration with the Maduro Regime and Maduro’s accomplice military officers.

Visit our #StoryMaps of Canaima, Yapacana & Alto Orinoco-Casiquiare Biosphere Reserve. These are summaries of our in depth reports on these Protected Areas:
VISIT WWW.SOSORINOCO.ORG FOR MORE INFORMATION
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