"Environmental activist Andrés Durazno was murdered in the Azuay community of Llantahuayco" - 19 March 2021

... Environmental activist and human rights defender Andrés Durazno was murdered with several stab wounds outside his home in Llantahuayco (Azuay) on the night of Tuesday 17 March 2021. This was announced by the Allianz of Human Rights Organizations [Alianza de Organizaciones por los Derechos Humanos], a coalition of almost twenty social organizations, through a press release... Durazno was president of the community’s water and irrigation system of Molleturo-Río Blanco. This is a rural parish located west of Cuenca on the edge of the Cajas National Park. Since the arrival of Ecuagoldmining South America S.A., a subsidiary of the Chinese company Junefield Mineral Resources Holdings Limited, the community of Río Blanco has been involved in several conflicts over access to water sources for its inhabitants, animals, and crops. The deposit in the area is estimated to contain 605,000 ounces of gold and 4.3 million ounces of silver. Extraction began during the government of Rafael Correa in 2016... In September 2018, Ecuagoldmining's project was halted due to a court order. However, with the departure of the company, complaints of illegal mining in the area increased and local residents reported that illegal groups began to take over the mining facilities...