Rumors of closed-door agreement signed between town government officials and Spanish hydroelectric company Hidro Santa Cruz sparked confusion and unrest among community members in Barillas, Huehuetenango, Guatemala.
After periods of negotiations between local government officials and Hidro Santa Cruz, the mayor of Barillas announced on December 11th that he would sign a agreement with the company giving them the green light to proceed with construction, while claiming “unanimous” support from communities and leadership councils.
Blogger Andres Cabañas explained, “The agreement to collaborate, as well as the roundtable dialoge, aim to delegitimize the communities and organizations opposing Hidro Santa Cruz and legitimize other groups as interlocutors.
Protests over the next three days caused him to retract his statement, suspending the signing of an agreement.
According to Cabañas, the agreement proposed at the roundtable by Hydro Santa Cruz offers 1 million Quetzales (US $125,000) to the town government in royalties, but retains the right to manage investment of the funds.
Roughly two thousand people gathered on December 22nd, seeking two objectives: first, that the mayor publically explain the content of the agreement with the company, and second, that town authorities promise to respect the decision of the community to wholly reject the hydroelectric project proposed by the Spanish company.
Yesterday, January 7th, the community gathered again in the central plaza of Barillas to read and deliver a petition to town officials once again announcing that affected communities are opposed to the Spanish company’s plans for a hydroelectric dam. They also denied statements released by Hidro Santa Cruz on Twitter the day before the meeting claiming community leaders were inciting violence and disrespect for laws. @HidroSantaCruz tweeted January 6th: “Tension today in Santa Cruz Barillas due to pick up trucks sent by Mynor Lopez and Ermitano Lopez calling for violence” and “They are asking the population to disregard laws and provoke riots tomorrow” (Translated from Spanish).
Meanwhile, community radio station Radio Santa Cruz, reporting live, declared a peaceful environment at the meeting January 7th, without disturbances.
See our campaign to take action in defense of the the Q'anjob'al community of Barillas, Huehuetenango as the fight to reject exploitation from a Spanish dam company:
Guatemala: We Are All Barillas- Stop a Dam on Our Sacred River!
