A miner inside the Acacia Bulyanhulu gold mine in northern Tanzania. PHOTO | FILE
Human rights groups have urged Tanzania’s President John
Magufuli to address abuses at Acacia’s
North Mara Gold Mine as part of the framework agreement with Barrick Gold Corporation, announced last week.
North Mara Gold Mine as part of the framework agreement with Barrick Gold Corporation, announced last week.
In an open letter sent to President Magufuli, the seven rights groups urged him to place the matter at “the top of the agenda.”
Last
week, Dar es Salaam and Barrick Gold announced a proposed deal to pave
the way to resolving a long-running dispute over unpaid taxes and an
export ban. The two sides agreed to establish a working group to iron
out further details.
“It
is hard to envision a genuine partnership that benefits both sides when
Tanzanian citizens continue to lose their lives or suffer terrible
injuries at Acacia’s operations. We hope you will give equal
consideration to respect for human-rights and ensuring fair government
revenue in the ongoing consultations with Barrick,” the groups said in
their letter.
The activists are seeking President
Magufuli’s intervention that will see him launch an urgent judicial
investigation into the unlawful use of force, killings, injuries, rape
and other human-rights violations by the Tanzanian police and mine
security at the North Mara mine in northwestern Tanzania.
They
also want to ensure victims of abuse receive adequate compensation from
the company through a rights-compatible grievance mechanism and or
through national or international judicial proceedings.
“We
insist that Acacia Mining stop using legal waivers to settle complaints
through their grievance mechanism, which are not considered best
practice. We also want Acacia to publish in full its current in-house
grievance mechanism, its investigations policy and other related
documents so local residents are fully aware of how their complaints
will be treated,” the letter reads.
Violations
Additionally,
they want Tanzania to publish in full the 2016 Parliamentary inquiry
report into human-rights abuses and other issues at the North Mara mine.
The four-page letter details serious human-rights
violations at the mine including at least 32 deaths of “intruders” in
security-related incidents since 2014 and dozens of serious injuries.
The
rights groups urged President Magufuli to ensure the victims are
provided with adequate compensation and to launch an urgent judicial
investigation into the alleged unlawful use of force by members of the
Tanzanian police and mine security.
“It would be
scandalous for the Tanzanian government and Barrick to walk away with
the financial issues resolved but not the crucial questions about
people’s lives and respect for human-rights. If the Tanzanian government
is going to take a stake in the mine it should ensure the abuses end
and victims are granted adequate compensation and justice,” said Anneke
Van Woudenberg, executive director of Rights and Accountability in
Development, one of the groups that signed the letter.
Dar es Salaam is yet to react to the letter while Acacia Mining and Barrick declined to comment.
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