Child on Cerrejon Open Cast Coal Mine

Colombia is the fourth largest coal exporting country in the world. The Cerrejon Zona Norte (CZN) mine on the Guajira peninsula is the largest opencast coal mine in the world. The site is also infamous for the widespread human rights violations against indigenous and Afro-Colombian people. The CZN mine covers 150 square miles in southern Guajira, the site consists of an integrated mine, railroad and a coastal export terminal. The Colombian government claims that the mine brings progress to the poverty-stricken region of La Guajira. But the reality is that Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities are under siege by the mine as much of the land close to the mine is uninhabitable due to blasting, dust and contamination. Miners and local communities suffer from poor health and the loss of land, homes, livelihoods and even life. The surrounding air is polluted by fly ash and methane and the water is contaminated by waste sludge and a cocktail of other chemicals. Local communities are being displaced by force to allow the expansion of the mine.