Malawi: Catholic Church Seeks Injunction Against Mining Company

Lilongwe
Malawi's Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (CJPC) has joined other NGOs in a legal bid to block Australian mining company, Paladin from opening a controversial uranium mine in the country.
According to Mineweb, an agency that networks mining organizations, the NGOs, which have challenged the decision in court claim that the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report on Kayelekera mine near Tanzania was "half-baked as it did not address the negative impact of uranium mining on the people".
"There are shortfalls highlighted in the EIA report to which government has not responded - for instance issues of protecting citizen's rights and health," John Chawinga, the country's CJPC told reporters
The Malawi government has given Paladin a license to start its uranium mining project as the NGOs accuse the government of negligence and ignoring major issues raised in the assessment report.
However, not only does Paladin have the support of the Malawi government in the project but also the support of chiefs surrounding the mine.
One of the senior chiefs there, Chief Karonga accuses some of the NGOs of taking advantage of Paladin's project to become famous while the country's Minister of Energy, Henry Chimunthu Banda said the government followed all the procedures before the company was granted a license, including consultation with experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency, to which Malawi is a Member
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Meanwhile, the Western Catholic Reporter reports that Catholic organisations working to ensure Canadian mining companies operating overseas respect the environment and human rights are celebrating after the National Roundtables on Corporate Social Responsibility advisory group released a ground-breaking report endorsed by industry and civil society representatives that could make Canada a leader in this area.
"It's a major step, part of a long ongoing process," said Michael Casey, executive director of the Canadian Catholic Organisation for Development and Peace. "It's important to realise this is only the first step."
Last year, Development and Peace began the campaign 'Calling Canadian Mining to Account', to encourage the Canadian government and Canadian mining industry to adhere to the same standards in developing countries as they do at home.