Communities near First Quantum Minerals’ (TSX: FM) Cobre Panamá copper mine are accusing a leading environmental NGO of fuelling political unrest and failing to support those most affected by the operation’s 2023 closure.
In a letter to the Packard Foundation, which has granted over $400,000 to the Environmental Advocacy Centre (Centro de Incidencia Ambiental-CIAM), the Civic Community Committee (CCC) alleges that funds meant for community development were diverted toward political activism.
The foundation’s own disclosures show CIAM received $45,000 in 2022, $180,000 in 2023, and another $180,000 planned for 2025.
The CCC argues that none of these funds have translated into tangible benefits for the thousands of residents who lost livelihoods when the mine shut down. Instead, the group says CIAM helped trigger the closure by leading the lawsuit that overturned the contract between First…
