"Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s push for minerals and militarization raises fears about the violence more mining could inflict on local communities and critical ecosystems."
"When Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in South America this week, he carried a familiar message: The United States wants access to minerals and an expanded military presence in the region.
That agenda is being welcomed by newly elected right-wing governments in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru that rose to power on hard-line security platforms aimed at taking on transnational criminal organizations.
But on the ground in the Amazon, other forests, high-altitude páramos grasslands and additional areas targeted for mining, those policies are sparking fears of worsening violence. Mining has repeatedly been ranked as the sector most linked to the killings of environmental defenders, people who act peacefully to protect nature and their homelands."
Katie Surma reports for Inside Climate News September 9, 2026.
