The president of
Nicaragua's Council of Bishops is backing independent, small-scale miners whose
protest against the concession given to a Canadian mining company was broken up
by police.
Msgr. Socrates Rene Sandigo says the miners and "are
only asking they be paid what is due them."
The Nicaragua government recently gave Canada's B2Gold
company the rights to gold fields the miners had long worked.
The miners blocked a highway over the weekend to protest and
demand $38 million in compensation.
Police broke up the blockade and arrested almost 50 people.
National Police spokesman Fernando Borge said nobody was injured, but said
those arrested could face charges.
B2Gold said in a statement that it had tried to talk with
the miners, but they refused to end the blockade.
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