A Canadian mining company promised a Malagasy village it wouldn't cheat the community. But DNI Metals is doing just that, trespassing on the village of Vohitsara without landowner's’ consent, and destroyed their crops, trees, fish ponds, and agricultural lands.
It didn’t have to be this way -- all the farmers wanted was for DNI to follow Malagasy mining law and be compensated fairly for the use of their land. Unfortunately, locals have received empty promises, worthless written agreements, and threats.
The people of Vohitsara village feel like there is no other choice but to give into DNI’s exploitation of their land. But groups on the ground just reached out to us because time and time again, SumOfUs members like you has stepped in to stop mines from Peru to Australia to Canada. DNI Metals needs to know that it is unacceptable and illegal to enter peoples’ lands without their consent.
Call on Canadian mining company DNI to stop the exploitation of a small Malagasy village.
The Vohitsara farmers must be compensated for the damage and destruction of their livelihoods and community. What’s more, multiple independent and government sources found that DNI is operating without proper permits.
This is another case of a foreign company coming into a local community and profiting off the resource with no regard to the community. But we’ve stopped mining companies before, and we can stop them again.
We recently updated you on Máxima Acuña, a Peruvian farmer that has stopped mining giant Newmont from building a gold mine on her home. Together, the SumOfUs community chipped in tens of thousands of dollars to her legal defense and we helped fund her friends travel from Peru to the U.S. to speak out against the security forces harassing Máxima. Over and over, SumOfUs members like you have showed that if we speak out, we can stop mining companies from exploiting local communities.
Let’s stand with the people of the Malagasy village of Vohitsara to protect their livelihood, homes, and community.
More information
L’Express de Madagascar (French link). 13 September 2017.
Mining Watch. 21 September 2017.