3MSP Day 4: Beyond Uranium Mining – Global Roots of Nuclear Injustice – Affected Communities and Allies

By Elena Kerr

This event was sponsored by Affected Communities and Allies Working Group and ICAN Germany. With speakers from affected communities, Indigenous activists from Turtle Island and Africa, and stakeholders in environmental and policy-making arenas: Isaiah Mongombe Mombilo, Lydia Petersen, Leona Morgan, and Lori Johnston.

Leona Morgan from the Navajo Nation opened the discussion with important remarks on how the transformative changes ongoing in the world and with the environment, the way they practice their culture is forced to change, such as the height of the snow as there are certain string games that can only be played with a certain amount of snow. The lie of nuclear energy as clean and sustainable and the extraction of resources from their lands was described as ripping the minerals from mother earth. She emphasised that nuclear weapons and humanity cannot co-exist, and distressed the important role specifically women have in the battle in protecting and leading the work, as a traditional method. The Navajo Nation passed a law in 2005 against uranium mining and a law in 2012 against transport of uranium through their lands. However, this law has now been changed into regulating transport of uranium mining, and as she referred to them still being under puppet of the US who do not care about these laws, they are not being pursued. The US do not have the budget for cleaning up their 20 000 mines and therefore the responsibility is forced upon the Navajo Nation to build uranium dumps, a battle pushed upon different tribes. There is a lack of education and transparency on these issues, and currently there are among 30 different countries pushing for nuclear energy. Everywhere there is a mine there is contamination, Morgan therefore calls for an examination of the consumption of weapons and energy, considering the urgency of current developments of the uranium mine in the Grand Canyon.

Isaiha Mongombe Mombilo from the Congolese Civil Society of South Africa shared the powerful facts on the birth of nuclear weapons, the missing link of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The supply of uranium to the Manhattan Project of 1921 was extracted from Shinkolobwe by Belgian mining company: Union Minere de Haut Katanga. Isaiha discussed how Congolese blood was necessary for the birth of nuclear weapons, the political influence of developing nuclear weapons undermined the consequences. There were no protective clothes against radiation leading to cancer, malformation of children, deformation, and other diseases which were claimed to be caused by spiritual presence from African culture. Producing nuclear weapons is working against the progression of humanity, there is resource extraction highlights the sole care for personal interest without consideration of consequences on humanity. Isaiha explained how his promotion of the knowledge of the missing link was met with resistance by his own government, excused with not wanting problems with the US, and therefore withholding the truth. He concluded his statement calling for the need of a president that the Congolese people want, not what the Western people want.

Lori Johnston emphasised this need for knowledge on how to manage these materials and the need for data on these toxins. It breaches planetary boundaries and there is no consideration of Indigenous people. The human right to self-determination is not being upheld, and Lori expresses these actions as violence against civilians by preventing people from their rights. She discussed how this is criminal abuse of power without the consent of the people who are being affected by these crimes. Lydia Peterson further emphasised the need of empowerment of marginalised communities to be part of decision-making that is affecting them. She stressed the cancer impacts on young people that is allowed by the government, by merely focusing on profit with no consideration of building sustainable lives or rehabilitation. There is a lack of tools in understanding nuclear energy, the most important thing to acknowledge is where it comes from and that who is affected matters.

The event was concluded with an emphasis on advocating for affected communities. Children are dying and we have a joint responsibility to protect the people. We must recognise impacts that come later in life on affected communities where cancers may be experienced 10-20 years after the exposure. We all have a responsibility.

Read more about the work of Congolese Civil Society of South Africa: https://congolesecivilsocietysa.org

Read more about Leona Morgan’s work: https://haulno.com/author/leona/