Government surrenders to Samarco (VALE/BHP Billiton)

The agreement made between the federal government and Samarco (Vale/BHP Billiton) for the supposed reconstruction of the Rio Doce represents a concession to crime. Held in offices and without any participation of the victims affected by the dam burst, this agreement gives all powers for the defendant to decide on the future of the region destroyed by Samarco itself.

Through a private foundation, the mining company will manage all resources for mitigating the incalculable damage caused by the disruption of the Fundão dam. There is no line in this agreement that ensures the participation of those affected. That is, the main victims of this tragedy were totally excluded in the agreement construction process and will have no say on the reconstruction of their own lives. In fact, the victims do not have the right even to declare as affected, because this power is exclusive to Samarco.

The victims will have to prove that they are affected and the aggressors will have the power to decide who is affected and what to repair. A serious violation of rights have now the connivance of the government and the judiciary.

This fact demonstrates the submission of governments, federal and state levels, towards Vale and BHP Billiton. This agreement is the realization of the promiscuous relationships established through private funding campaign; as it’s already known, decides which candidates wins the elections.

At no moment the government was willing to consult us about any agreement. The Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB), as a social movement affected by dams in Brazil, was completely ignored. We were informed of this agreement by the press, who called us from the denounce made by the non-profit news agency Agência Publica.

This agreement is not an accomplished fait. In this month of March, which marks the date of the international struggle of resistance against dams, people affected by dams from all over Brazil will come out to the streets to denounce and demand our right to participate.

We call on all those who want to sum in this march.

Ore, water and energy are not commodities!

São Paulo, March 2.
National Coordination of the Movement of People Affected by Dams – MAB