“Contrary to media speculation, the Municipality of
Yarumal has enjoyed calm and peace for a number of years without any
security outbreaks of record.”
“Additionally, the Mayor commented
that he has visited Ochalí nine or ten times over the past two years
without any security incidents.”
“…the Company would like to state that
its number one priority is the safety and security of its employees and
contractors.”
“According to an interview published by a
Medellin newspaper, one of the villagers stated: “What happened really
hurts. They [Continental Personnel] always greeted us, they were very
distinguished. Even on Sunday, they did an activity with the
townspeople. They were providing work, they made purchases in the small
shops [of Ochalí]. With what has transpired, the community loses.””
When
asked whether his daughter had spoke of any fear for what might happen
there, the emotional father replied, “Obviously! Obviously!” She’d spent
two weeks very scared. She phoned me and said, “Daddy, we’re all sad
because there are rumours that they’re going to attack us here. We don’t
know what to do.”The
young woman also told her father that the company was monitoring the
situation, but nothing happened. “The last time I spoke with her
(Wednesday evening) she said, “Dad, we’re all scared to death here.”
She was on leave, but they phoned her and told her that she could travel to Medellín and from there to the (Berlín) camp, knowing the high risk they were running. So it seems to me that there was a lot of carelessness from the company”, said Flórez.“I have the WhatsApp messages where my girl told me, “Daddy, how is it possible that the company sends us up uniforms and while they are being transported to us, they get cut up with knives? Daddy, what happened is very strange, we’re all very sad and fearful because the uniforms are full of holes” (she wrote with a sad face icon). This was on the 17th of this month. They knew the risks they were taking and the company should have got them out. But they didn’t do anything. For me, that’s very lax of the company.”
“They had no protection and they did not give them the least amount of security because…because they had nobody watching over them and it was a small village with very few houses.”
In the title line of its NR yesterday, CNL was keen to use the verb “clarify”. If they are so keen on clarification I’m sure they will quickly want to clarify that. Please.
UPDATE: A new development. Dora Elena Balvin, the secretary of Mines in the
Antioquia region of Colombia where the attack on the geologists working
for Continental Gold (CNL.to) occurred (specifically in the Yarumal
district), stated in an interview today that, “Yarumal has always seen acts of violence”, (minute six of this seven minute interview). This directly contradicts the company line that the area was peaceful. We also note in this interview on the tragic events with army general Ramirez, in charge of security there, that the army has been conducting patrols in this area for some time in order to seek out dissident FARC rebels. Again, Yarumal is obviously a Hot Zone at the moment.