Loading ...In recent days, mid-tier gold and copper miner Aura Minerals (TSX:ORA) decided to suspend operations at its San Andrés mine in Honduras due to what the miner calls ‘an illegal occupation of the mine’ that has been intensifying since July 13, 2018.
Through its subsidiary in the Central American country, Minerales de Occidente S.A or Minosa, Aura management informed workers that the gold mine would be temporarily closed because the limited access to a new area it wants to exploit makes it unprofitable.
The place the miner wants to work on sits on top of a more than 200-year-old cemetery. To be able to perform mineral extraction there, Minosa has had to unearth and relocate hundreds of bodies, an action that some villagers and NGOs oppose but others agree with. Back in May, a judge blocked Minosa’s activities but since the decision was temporary, opponents decided to ramp up a blockade that initially began in April.
Protesters force Aura Minerals to suspend operations in Honduras