“We are dying, ...we have no shelter from the rain, ...we are eating tree bark”

Ottawa – An already desperate situation at the site of Barrick Gold Corp.’s (Barrick) New Porgera Ltd.’s (Porgera) gold mine in the highlands of Papua New Guinea has become deadly for local Indigenous villagers in Porgera, who wonder why Barrick is doing nothing to help them.

On May 23, half a mountainside gave way in a massive landslide at Mulitaka, burying an estimated 2000 villagers and affecting many thousands more as the slide cut off food supplies to villages between the centre of Wabag and the villages along the road to, and at, the Porgera mine. The road remains cut off today, although the mine has found ways to continue to operate. On July 25, Barrick reported that “Porgera Remains On Track Despite Mulitaka Landslide Challenges.”

However, a perennial problem at this mine has been intrusions by desperate villagers seeking scraps of gold to sustain their livelihoods. As reported to MiningWatch Canada by the Akali Tange Association, a clash between two villagers seeking gold-bearing rocks at the mine in early September has cascaded into the latest tribal battles at, and around, the mine site, burning down villages and leaving many homeless and starving.

As villagers have fled into nearby forests, mine camps, and anywhere they may be safe, there is no relief arriving to provide them desperately needed food and shelter from steady rains.

As reported to MiningWatch by local Ipili resident, Everlyn Gaupe of Porgera, “we are really dying, no food, we are eating from the tree trunks.” (Listen to the voice recording below).

As Porgera undergoes significant violence, fires, and food shortages, the mine has modified its operations but plans to resume normal operations on September 19th. 

“If Barrick can ensure that the Porgera mine keeps producing gold and profits for shareholders, surely Barrick can do something to ensure that those now sheltering in forests and eating tree bark are provided temporary shelter and food,” says Catherine Coumans, Asia Pacific Coordinator at MiningWatch Canada. “We would like to hear from Barrick about what the company is doing to address this urgent humanitarian need.”

For more information contact:

• Catherine Coumans, Asia Pacific Program Coordinator, MiningWatch Canada, [email protected], (613) 569-3439

Additional resources:

Note: This press release has been modified. The release published on September 17, 2024 originally stated that the clash that took place was between a villager and a guard at the mine. Since publication, additional sources have come forward to share that the clash was between two villagers seeking gold-bearing rocks. The press release was updated on September 25, 2024 to reflect this information.