About 80 backhoes have been seized since the Armed Forces intervened in Yutzupino, in Napo, after reports of mining activities that were devastating the area.
The heavy equipment that was being worked on has been moved to a fairground after Operation Manatí. The backhoes were removed from the affected areas by court order.
Platform trailers arrived at the site and proceeded to remove the machines one by one from military custody during this week.
The intervention in the area began last weekend when the military and police arrived in Yutzupino (Napo). The machinery was in the area of the Jatunyaku River in search of gold.
Residents of the area indicated that due to the works the natural channel was diverted and the area is now affected.
Government will temporarily suspend all mining activity in Napo, after the operation against illegal gold extraction in Yutzupino
The Government Minister, Alexandra Vela, indicated that they will not withdraw from the area until they see this place free of illegal mining. “Rest assured that we will continue to combat these illicit activities throughout Ecuadorian territory,” the official said.
During the last weeks, environmentalists, defenders and activists had given the alert of the depredation that was being carried out in Yutzupino.
The Armed Forces indicated that the military operations carried out in Yutzupino against illegal mining are supervised by Fabián Fuel, head of the CC. FF. AA. This, according to the FF. AA., allows to maintain control of the activities that affect the natural resources of the country.
Operation with 1,600 soldiers was carried out in Yutzupino, Napo, against illegal mining
As a result of the military and police intervention in the Yutzupino sector, the Government decided to temporarily suspend all mining activity in the province, including that carried out by natural persons and companies that have authorized licenses and concessions.
Juan Carlos Bermeo, Minister of Energy and Non-Renewable Natural Resources, during a press conference offered on the afternoon of this Tuesday, February 15, announced this measure.
Bermeo clarified that the measure will be temporary, while the environmental problems generated by illegal exploitation are corrected, and will be finalized until Friday this week, once the report from the Energy Regulation and Control Agency (ARC) is obtained. that will support the resolution adopted by the ministry.
“This is about the suspension of mining activities. In no way, due to a basic concept of legal certainty, it is a suspension of mining rights or concessions”, the minister emphasized. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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