As Ecuador’s third-largest mine begins construction, rural communities push back against what they describe as a corporate-state alliance that endangers their water and livelihoods. Weeks of protest have been met with police repression, reigniting national debates over extractivism and sovereignty.
Residents in Las Naves mobilize to defend water and land against the El Domo mine, amid growing scrutiny of corporate and state collusion.
Photo: resumenlatinoamericano
July 19, 2025 Hour: 8:14 am
In a country that granted constitutional rights to nature and voted to protect its rainforests from oil drilling, rural Ecuadorians are now resisting one of the nation’s largest mining projects. Residents of Las Naves say the El Domo mine, backed by a corporation linked to President Daniel Noboa’s family, threatens their water, land, and way of life.
Ecuador is known for its strong environmental legal framework. In 2008, it became the first country to recognize the rights of nature in its constitution. Since then, communities have repeatedly mobilized against extractive industries. In 2021, Cuenca voted overwhelmingly to ban mining in its watershed. In 2023, a national referendum halted oil drilling in the Amazon’s Yasuní National Park. Residents of Quito also voted to prohibit metallic mining in the Chocó Andino.
Now, a new front has emerged in Las Naves, a canton in the central province of Bolívar. In early 2025, locals learned that Curimining S.A. would begin construction of El Domo, a gold, silver, and zinc mine set to become Ecuador’s third-largest. Through an agreement with the government, the company committed to investing USD 292 million and paying over USD 370 million in royalties over 22 months.
Civil society organizations, including the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), have raised concerns over the project’s ownership. They point out that Curimining is linked to Grupo Nobis, a powerful conglomerate largely controlled by President Noboa’s family. Activists allege that state permits were granted to serve elite private interests.
Residents of Las Naves, joined by farmers from Ventanas, Echandía, San Luis de Pambil, Quimsaloma, and Pangua, began organizing to halt the mining project. Their main concern is that the mine’s location endangers vital water sources needed for agriculture, livestock, and daily life.
On June 26, CONAIE wrote on X:
“Third day of repression in Las Naves. Heavily armed police from the Public Order Maintenance Unit entered La Unión, Las Naves, once again—this time on orders from the mining company Curimining S.A., whose shareholder is Grupo Nobis, linked to President Daniel Noboa’s family. The government prioritizes the use of public force to protect the interests of a foreign company, while criminalizing communities defending water, land, and their peasant economy.”
🔴 #ATENCION | Día 3 de represión en #LasNaves Policías del UMO fuertemente armados ingresaron nuevamente al recinto La Unión, cantón Las Naves, por orden de la minera @CURIMINING_SA, cuyo accionista es el Grupo Nobis, vinculado a la familia del presidente #DanielNoboa.
In late June, videos and eyewitness reports documented violent clashes between police and demonstrators. Armed units of the National Police moved in to dismantle blockades and protest camps. Several protesters were injured, and detentions were reported.
Pamela Viteri, a political analyst and leftist organizer, said the conflict reflects a broader pattern: “Behind what’s happening is the alliance between mining companies and the state. Curimining wants to impose the Curipamba-El Domo project by force, and the government protects these interests through police violence and legal persecution.”
Despite court rulings rejecting initial legal appeals, the resistance has continued. “There are still points of resistance,” Viteri explained. “Although the police have repressed brutally… the machines have not entered freely thanks to the strength of popular resistance.”
Viteri emphasized that this conflict goes beyond a single company: “We’re not only facing one mining company, but an entire extractive model that disregards rural life, water, and sovereignty… a system of accumulation that survives through blood, repression, and prison.”
She called for unity and organization: “If we don’t stand firm, these companies will erase us. But the struggle in Las Naves has already become an example for the whole country. The present and the future are anti-mining.”
As Curimining proceeds with state backing, the resistance in Las Naves has become a national symbol of grassroots environmental defense. Similar struggles are playing out across Latin America, where Indigenous and rural communities continue to challenge extractive economies rooted in inequality and ecological harm. Whether this movement can hold the line will help define the future of sovereignty and environmental justice in the region.
