-says villagers being threatened with eviction
The Upper Mazaruni District Council (UMDC) yesterday said that the titled lands of the village of Jawalla are being encroached upon by miners and it vehemently condemned the ongoing threats and illegal mining activities.
In a statement yesterday, the UMDC said that Jawalla, a predominantly Akawaio community in Region Seven, is facing severe rights violations and threats from government-sanctioned mining on their customary and legally recognized lands.
“Those threats have increased over the last months, with outside miners operating under a permit issued without the knowledge or consent of the village, bringing in heavy machinery dangerously close to the homes of our people. The intention of this glaring threat is to forcefully remove residents from the lands they legally occupy”, the release said.
The UMDC said that the issue began on July 2, 2021, when a miner visited Jawalla and claimed that villagers were invading her mining claims in Apupai and Suwaidai. The situation intensified over several months, with key events occurring between September 2024 and February 2025.
The issue further escalated when Jawalla resident Moore James, engaged in subsistence mining and farming in the area, received an eviction order on September 14, 2024 to vacate a mining permit (A-1150/MP/000) issued to one Ayub Asad. The order, issued by the Mines Officer Winston George stationed at Imbaimadai, required James to leave by September 17, 2024, under the provisions of the Mining Act and Regulations, the statement said.
Despite James’s attempts to inform the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) through a formal letter on November 18, 2024 that his family’s home and farms are within the permit area, no response or acknowledgment was provided. Instead, on January 18, 2025, he and his nephew received separate summons to appear in the Essequibo Magisterial District Court on January 20, 2025, accused of breaching Regulation 181(1) of the Mining Regulations. The short notice made it impossible for them to attend their court hearing, the UMDC said.
Further, a second order to remove from the permit area was delivered on February 3, 2025. This time the permit was stated to be the property of Ivor Dexter Chan.
The threats have continued, with persons stating they work for Chan and warning James on February 1, 2025, that excavators would be used to force his family off the land. The UMDC said that residents have reported that these excavators have since moved dangerously close to James’s home. The UMDC said that Chan is not the permit holder but has been acting with full authority over the mining operations.
Verification
The statement said that the Jawalla Village Council, in response to these and other illegal mining activities, invested its own resources to conduct an independent verification of the village title boundary using a sworn surveyor.
“The findings confirmed that the lands in question fall within the legal land title of Jawalla. However, government agencies have refused to certify these findings, instead providing various justifications for allowing mining to continue, highlighting a lack of coordination and failure of the legal system to protect Indigenous rights”, the UMDC said.
It noted that Section 80 of the Mining Act restricts a licensee from exercising their rights within 200 meters of any village or land designated for village extension without the written consent of the Minister.
“Jawalla Village was never consulted or notified, violating their right to self-determination and Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), as well as section 80(2) of the Mining Act. Additionally, Section 80(1)(b) requires written consent from the lawful occupier for mining within 200 meters of inhabited or occupied buildings or within 50 meters of agricultural lands. Section 111 of the Mining Act states that all land occupied or used by Amerindian communities is lawfully occupied by them, meaning their consent must be obtained under section 80(1)(b) of the Mining Act.
Since Mr. Moore (James) has farms and buildings on the land encompassed by the mining permit, these requirements were clearly violated”, the UMDC asserted.
The group pointed out that the Amerindian Act (Section 48) requires that any miner seeking to operate within Village lands must first obtain permission, provide information on their activities, attend consultations, negotiate in good faith, and receive the consent of at least two-thirds of the community present at a Village General Meeting.
“None of these legal requirements were met, and the GGMC never notified the village before issuing permits on its titled lands, as mandated under Section 53 of the Amerindian Act. Section 53 further requires GGMC to `satisfy itself’ that the impact of mining on the village would not be harmful but the threats to remove the Akawaios from their homes and farms and social issues associated with mining such as prostitution and the sale/use of drugs and alcohol, are by definition harmful to the village. Furthermore, the maps used by GGMC to justify these mining permits are incorrect. The maps in their system misrepresent Jawalla’s lands, and GGMC claims that the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission (GLSC) generated these maps, leading to a blame game between agencies rather than accountability”, the UMDC contended.
Stating that it is representing the collective interests of the eight Indigenous villages in the Cuyuni/Mazaruni district, the UMDC demanded:
1. Immediate cessation of all mining activities by non-residents within Jawalla’s titled lands.
2. Government intervention to prevent forced displacement of Indigenous families.
3. Accountability for agencies enabling violations of Indigenous rights.
4. Amendments to the Amerindian Act to strengthen land and governance protections.
The UMDC said it stands in full solidarity with Jawalla Village and urges swift action to uphold Indigenous land rights, prevent violence, and ensure legal protections are enforced.
Several other indigenous communities have complained about miners on their titled lands. The high price of gold internationally has triggered expanded mining in many parts of the country.
