Sad mine in Salvador

Nayib Bukele, elected president in 2019 of the smallest country on the American continent, is a man who goes fast. This is evidenced by the massive arrest of thousands of gang members who terrified the populations to bring down the country’s homicide rate.

Re-elected a year ago, the “coolest dictator in the world” as he designates himself, wants to tackle the economic development of Salvador. A country of six and a half million inhabitants, almost half of the population, is affected by poverty; But also a country where 160 multimillionaires alone have the equivalent of 87 % of GDP.

At the end of December 2024, the president announced to end the law passed seven years before which made Salvador the only country in the world to have banned the exploitation of metal mines. Since then, the mobilization to denounce this abrogation has continued to grow.

The archbishop of the capital, Mgr José Luis Escobar Alas, himself opposed it publicly. A few days ago, with other bishops and representatives of civil society, he came to bring to the authorities a letter having received 150,000 signatures, contesting Bukele’s decision in the name of respect for populations and ecosystems. Because you should not be a great prophet to know that the exploitation of mines, especially gold, is always very polluting and rarely attracts economic prosperity and social justice in a poor country. The standoff is just beginning.