Wednesday, November 5 at 6:00 PM at the John Haynes Holmes Community House, 28 East 35th Street (Madison & Park)

Senegal: Human rights of communities trampled in “Gold Rush”

Kédougou, in the south-east of Senegal, falls within the Birimian Greenstone Gold Belt. This gold belt is one of the largest in the world, stretching across much of West Africa. In the Kédougou region alone, there are estimated to be around 10 million ounces of gold reserves. Despite sitting on these precious resources, most of Senegal’s population lives in poverty.

Local communities have reported that due to industrial mining operations they have been forced to move to villages without adequate housing and water and suitable land for growing their usual subsistence crops and have been denied access to sites traditionally used for artisanal mining. Gladys Melo-Pinzon details the human rights issues that arise generally within the context of mining and other extractive industries.

Dr. Gladys Melo-Pinzon is the Senegal / Niger Country Specialist of Amnesty USA (AIUSA), the Amnesty International’s Section in the US and part of the global movement of people fighting injustice and promoting human rights.