Colombian farmer faces charges for opposing copper mine

Porfirio Garcés, 87, is one of the Jericó 11 – a group of rural activists facing kidnapping charges in Colombia after opposing a copper mining project in the western Andes. The mine threatens water sources that supply Jericó and neighbouring towns in Antioquia. Garcés, a farmer who tends anthuriums on his small holding, has become a focal point of resistance to extraction projects in a region where multiple water sources originate.

The case reflects a broader shift in Colombian policy. President Gustavo Petro has signalled a pivot toward prioritising resource extraction over environmental protection – a move that directly endangers communities dependent on watershed protection. The Jericó 11 face serious legal jeopardy for opposing development that poses material risk to water security.

This isn't abstract activism. These are subsistence farmers defending tangible infrastructure – the hydrological systems their towns depend on. Mining operations in watersheds generate both immediate contamination risk and long-term degradation through altered hydrology and acid mine drainage.

The political context matters. A far-right administration favouring extraction creates asymmetric risk for local defenders. Kidnapping charges against rural opponents of mining projects signal criminalisation of environmental opposition – a tactic that suppresses legitimate stakeholder engagement and due diligence processes that responsible extractive companies claim to support.

The question facing international supply chains: how do procurement teams verify that copper sourced from Colombia respects water rights and community consent, when local defenders face criminal charges for raising those exact concerns?

‘Water yes, mining no!’: the 87-year-old farmer who became a nature hero in Colombia

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