The FARC has condemned plans for a controversial hydroelectric plant which will divert Colombia’s Magdalena River, destroying nearby towns.
The guerrilla group has posted a passionate letter on its website highlighting the Magdalena River’s sacred role in Colombian history and condemning the $830 million Quimbo Hydroelectric plant which is being built by the energy giant Emgesa.
“The backbone of our country, the Magdalena River, our primary heritage, is faced with mortal danger at the hands of the locomotive Santistas sponsored by transnational capitalists,” said the FARC.
Earlier this week the Colombian government announced it would investigate the controversial Quimbo dam project, which will flood five towns, displacing hundreds of locals and causing significant environmental damage. The government granted a resolution in January authorizing Emgesa to seize the land if the owners refused to negotiate, but appears to be backtracking following vehement popular protest.
The FARC says that “picking on the Magdalena River is attacking the most sacred and ancient resource…There are things that nobody should be allowed to play with. The Magdalena River is that for Colombia.”
Those in favor of the project claim that as the second largest hydroelectric plant in Latin America, it would bring money, work, and political power to Colombia.
But according to the FARC, “No one can swallow the story that the millions of pesos and dollars that this will produce will be used to develop the country’s poorest communities. It’s for the foreign investors.”
It concludes, “Say NO to the Quimbo dam.”
