PANAMA CITY (AP) — Panama’s President, Laurentino Cortizo, signed into law an indefinite moratorium on new mining concessions Friday.
An article was removed, however, that would have revoked a controversial mining contract that sparked nationwide protests over the past two weeks.
Minera Panama is a local subsidiary of Canadian mining company First Quantum.
Protests continued across the country Friday, drawing supporters from Indigenous groups and unions across the education, construction and medical sectors.
In 2017, El Salvador’s congress passed a total ban on the mining of metals in the country, becoming one of the first countries to enact such a broad ban.
Persons:
—, Laurentino Cortizo, Cortizo
Organizations:
PANAMA CITY, Panama’s
Locations:
PANAMA, Panama, Colon, El