Guatemala sets curfew in province after protests

The Guatemalan government has declared a month-long, dawn-to-dusk curfew and banned pubic gatherings in the northern coastal province of Izabal, following two days of protests against a mining project

Guatemala Protest (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The Guatemalan government declared a month-long, dawn-to-dusk curfew Sunday and banned pubic gatherings in the northern coastal province of Izabal, following two days of protests against a mining project.

Thousands of police confronted demonstrators angered by a nickel mine run by the Swiss-based Solway Investment Group.

Protesters say they weren’t consulted about the mine, and lobbed stones at police, who responded with tear gas and stones.

The country’s highest court has suspended operations at the Fenix mine because it ruled that Indigenous groups in the area had not been properly consulted about the project, and residents have set up protest encampments and held marches demanding they be included in the consultation.