Originally published March 26.

The result is now expected to force local authorities to prohibit mining in the town, according to lawyer Diana Rodriguez.

With a majority voting “No” in a popular referendum Sunday, local communities in Colombia's Cajamarca department scored a historic victory against transnational mining giant AngloGold Ashanti, likely putting a definitive end to the La Colosa project and setting a precedent for the whole country.

22 Mar. CI.- This morning a series of captures of social and peasant leaders began in the region of South Bolívar, one of the most impacted by the armed conflict and paramilitary presence. Milena Quiroz, of the Agrarian Summit, was detained in her house as was Isidro Alarcón, both in the municipality of Arenal. Francisco Zabaleta of the municipality of Norosí was also detained.

For thousands of undocumented immigrants across the country, cities such as Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver are sweatshops. Immigrants and refugees work the most precarious and dangerous jobs. The Canadian economy cannot survive without this super-exploited work force, made particularly vulnerable by their lack of permanent status and the threat of deportation.

To understand what is happening with the Colombian Peace Accords, it is necessary to identify the enormous political power held by Colombia's large landowners. Without understanding the problem of the concentration of land ownership, it is impossible to understand anything that has happened in the country in the past eighty years.