Landless workers, members of the Popular Youth Movement and the Movement for Popular Sovereignty in Mining (MAM) occupied the entrance of the Samarco mining company, in Mariana, Minas Gerais, this Friday (5), a date that marks six years of the breakup of a mining dam.
Protesters released photos of the protest against what they call “impunity” in the case. They placed banners at the unit’s entrance, with words against Samarco, Vale and BHP, which own the mining company.
“It’s been six years since the fateful November 5, 2015, when we faced the collapse of the Fundão dam, the biggest environmental crime in the history of Brazil, which claimed the lives of 19 people and condemned the Rio Doce to mud from the source to the mouth,” the protesters said in a statement.
When contacted, Samarco confirmed that the demonstrators were in front of the company and that they did not enter the unit. He also said that the demonstration does not impact production.
Samarco also stated, through its press office, that “it remains firm in its commitment to actions to repair and compensate for the impacts resulting from the collapse of the Fundão dam, which will never be forgotten by the company”.
The company reaffirmed its commitment to repairing damages and to the Term of Transaction and Adjustment of Conduct (TTAC) signed in March 2016 by Samarco and its shareholders, Vale and BHP, federal, Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo governments and other entities.
So far, according to Samarco, more than 336,000 people have been indemnified, with over R$ 15.57 billion allocated to actions carried out by the Renova Foundation, which also conducts flora and fauna recovery actions, in addition to processes of resettlements that count on the participation of those affected and the government.
The company also said that, with the gradual resumption of Samarco’s activities, “in a safer and more sustainable manner”, the company reinforces the fulfillment of its obligations in the social and environmental fields.
Reference: CNN Brasil
