| 2018 Tumeremo massacre | |
|---|---|
| Location | Tumeremo, Bolívar, Venezuela |
| Date | 14—16 October 2018 [1] |
| Target | miners |
| Deaths | 7 [1] |
| Injured | 6 |
The 2018 Tumeremo massacre is at least the third civilian massacre of miners in the Venezuelan town of Tumeremo since 2016. [2] Occurring over three days from 14 October 2018, it is suspected that a Colombian guerrilla group is responsible for the murders. [1]
The miners attacked were at Los Candados mine. The opposition politician for the state, Américo de Grazia, claimed that the recovered bodies were of 4 men and 3 women. He also posted a thread of tweets showing several bodies, including those with gunshot wounds showing how they had been killed and abandoned. [3] Five survivors of the attack returned to their village to report the events, [4] there are reportedly six people injured. [2]
According to The Guardian , victims' families blame the Colombian guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), and that this group is supported by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. [1] These kinds of attacks were previously described as a type of gang warfare between mining mafias, but the leftist ELN and Maduro are allegedly attempting to disrupt production and gather mining profits, according to analytical reports. [4]
Local businesses and schools were closed for the investigation, which lasted many weeks. The attack furthered opposition displeasure at the government's supposed complicity with organized crime and harboring Colombian terrorists. [2] It drew international media attention to the violence in remote parts of the country. [1] It is viewed as the worst of many massacres in the region since the 2016 massacre. [2] Shortly after the events, towards the end of October, armed violence broke out in Tumeremo, which de Grazia says began with the presence of government military forces. [5] On 31 October, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order introducing sanctions on the illegal gold trade of Venezuela. [6] The Los Canados mine was an illegal operation.