FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Toronto – ON) On the occasion of Barrick Mining Corporation’s (Barrick) 2026 Annual General Meeting, communities affected by the company’s operations across Latin America, Africa, and Asia-Pacific are speaking out about their allegations of human rights violations and environmental harm linked to Barrick’s global mining projects.
From repeated toxic spills at the Veladero mine in Argentina, to unresolved calls for resettlement at the Pueblo Viejo mine in the Dominican Republic, to ongoing allegations of violence and security force abuses at the North Mara Gold Mine in Tanzania, and accusations of increased militarization and exacerbated violence against local Baloch peoples at the Reko Diq project in Balochistan, communities continue to face serious mining-related risks while seeking accountability and redress.
Argentina
The grassroots citizens group Asamblea Jáchal No Se Toca (Hands of Jáchal Assembly) has spent nearly a decade documenting and denouncing a pattern of toxic spills and environmental impacts linked to Barrick’s Veladero mine. Since the widely reported cyanide spill of 2015, community members have raised persistent concerns about repeated water contamination, regulatory failures, and lack of transparency from both the company and provincial authorities.
These concerns intensified following a mass fish mortality event in November 2025 in the Cuesta del Viento reservoir, located downstream from the mine. Community members report that thousands of fish died under unexplained circumstances, yet, to date, there has been no clear public accounting of the causes.
“We are calling on Barrick to release the results of weekly water testing conducted throughout 2025, especially in November, as well as the analysis of the dead fish carried out by SGS, the external laboratory contracted by the company. We would ask Barrick whether it is true that they deny any spills after 2017. If they recognize these incidents, they would be required to permanently close the Veladero mine under Article 264(e) of Argentina’s Mining Code, which establishes that ‘in the case of three (3) serious infractions, the definitive closure of the operation must proceed.’ Is this why they have not acknowledged the November 2025 spill, despite the mass death of fish downstream?” “ Saúl Zeballos, spokesperson for the Asamblea Jáchal No Se Toca.
Dominican Republic
At the Pueblo Viejo mine, downstream communities continue to raise urgent concerns about the impacts of mining operations and risks associated with waste storage. Residents living near the El Llagal tailings dam—a 114-metre structure containing toxic mine waste—have long called for relocation, citing security risks as well as limited safe water access and health issues, with pollution-driven livestock and crop losses worsening food insecurity. As expansion plans move forward—including building a second tailings facility, El Naranjo—local communities and civil society organizations have filed two constitutional protection actions seeking an immediate halt to construction. Barrick has classified the proposed Naranjo facility, which is expected to operate until 2049, as “Extreme,” meaning a potential dam failure could result in over 100 fatalities. Local communities and organizations sent a letter May 7th, calling on the company to ensure relocation to a safe and healthy environment.
“The current relocation program associated with the expansion continues to leave 450 families living below the El Llagal dam wall without adequate protection despite more than a decade of repeated calls for relocation. As expansion progresses, concerns for community safety are intensifying. We underscore to Barrick and its shareholders that we do not want to be among the ‘more than 100 fatalities’ projected in the event of a dam failure. This situation represents a material human rights and risk management concern. We are calling for immediate relocation to prevent a foreseeable tragedy.” Leoncia Ramos, spokesperson for Comité Nuevo Renacer.
Balochistan, Pakistan
The Reko Diq project is situated in an armed conflict zone where systematic attacks against Indigenous Baloch activists are reported by international rights organizations and wide-ranging human rights violations against human rights defenders are raised by UN bodies. Foreign-owned resource extraction projects, and the Reko Diq project in particular, are reported as an intensifying source of conflict affecting Indigenous Baloch communities. The Reko Diq project has become a target for violent attacks causing the site to be heavily militarized. Additionally, the project's impact assessments have failed to recognize the Baloch people as Indigenous. This denial of Baloch indigeneity has been disputed by UN Special Rapporteurs, which draws into question the adequacy and legitimacy of the project’s impact assessments and consultation processes, particularly with respect to international safeguard standards for Indigenous Peoples that require their Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). Civil society organizations have urged the development banks funding the Reko Diq project to suspend it until human rights and environmental concerns have been addressed.
“Our reporting and facts suggest that this project has failed to uphold the international business and human rights guiding principles and respect the fundamental rights of the local people. The project is reportedly exacerbating the oppression of the Baloch people at the hands of Pakistan’s armed security forces. Lack of transparency is a primary concern for the people of Balochistan. It cannot be mined responsibly. Therefore, we call on Barrick to withdraw from this project and the financiers to withhold funding for Reko Diq.” Lateef Johar Baloch, Human Rights Defender
Tanzania
In recent years Indigenous Kuria from villages surrounding the North Mara Gold Mine in Tanzania have filed five lawsuits in which they allege that members of the Tanzania Police Force contracted to guard the mine have assaulted them or their family members using excessive force. In two cases filed in Canada a total of 29 plaintiffs allege killings, maimings and torture that occurred between 2021 and 2023. On April 7, 2026, the cases were dismissed in the Ontario Court of Appeal, not on the merits of these cases, but on the basis that Tanzania is the better forum for legal action. The plaintiffs will seek leave to appeal the case to the Supreme Court of Canada.
“Rather than continuously fight these cases in court, Barrick should ensure that the security arrangements at the North Mara mine no longer lead to allegations of excess use of force by mine police leading to killings and maimings of Indigenous Kuria people on whose land the mine was built.” Catherine Coumans, MiningWatch Canada.
Philippines
This year, people from the Island of Marinduque commemorated 30 years since a major mining disaster finally closed the Marcopper Mine. The somber commemoration was brightened by celebration as on 3 October 2025 a lawsuit filed in the Philippines successfully resulted in a 100 million dollar settlement from Barrick Mining. The funds will be distributed in stages over three years with the first 50 million having been deposited into an escrow account in April 2026.
See, video 24 Mar 2026: Roundtable Discussion on the 30th Anniversary of the Boac River Spill.
Papua New Guinea
In 2025, the leader of the Indigenous Ipili Porgera Landowners Association wrote to the Papua New Guinea Prime Minister describing the desperate state of the people living around the Porgera Joint Venture mine, and reasserting the need for the original landowners to be resettled elsewhere.
“I must speak on behalf of the customary landowners of Porgera who have, for over three decades, borne the full weight of mining on their land often with little to show for it in return. (...) Our people still walk for hours to reach health posts and basic services. Real development should be measured not in ounces of gold or kilometres of road, but in the human condition. (...) Our people have no land left to plant food. Food security is collapsing, and malnutrition is rising. (...) Resettlement remains the most urgent and overlooked issue facing the Porgera landowners today.” Mark Ekepa, Chairman of the Porgera Landowners Association.
Further Background
For more information and to arrange interviews, contact:
- Catherine Coumans, Research Coordinator, catherine@miningwatch.ca, 613-256-8331
- Miriam Shaftoe, Communications coordinator miriam@miningwatch.ca