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World News
16 October 2025

UN Warns Colombia Over Atrato River Mercury Crisis

Mercury pollution from illegal gold mining threatens Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities as Colombia faces pressure to enforce river protections.

The Atrato River, winding nearly 500 miles from Colombia’s western Andes to the Caribbean Sea, has long been a lifeline for the Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities of the Choco region. But today, this biodiverse artery faces a dire threat: mercury contamination from illegal gold mining, which the United Nations has called a "serious and ongoing human rights crisis."

On October 16, 2025, the United Nations issued a stark warning regarding the consequences of unchecked mercury pollution in the Atrato River basin. According to the Associated Press, three U.N. Human Rights Council special rapporteurs made public a letter addressed to the Colombian government, raising urgent concerns about the lack of progress in protecting the river and the communities that depend on it. The crisis, they said, is not only environmental but deeply humanitarian, threatening the health, livelihoods, and cultural survival of thousands.

"Ten years have passed and we have seen that there has been insufficient implementation and compliance with the terms of that decision," Marcos Orellana, the U.N. special rapporteur on toxics and human rights, told the Associated Press, referring to a 2016 Constitutional Court ruling. That landmark ruling recognized the Atrato River as a legal entity, granting it rights to protection and restoration—a groundbreaking move at the time, but one that, according to the U.N., has yet to yield meaningful change on the ground.

The core of the problem, Orellana explained, lies in a toxic mix of organized crime and institutional corruption. "A big part of the problem stems from the presence of organized crime — smuggling mercury, smuggling gold, and corruption in military and police forces," he said. The illegal gold mining trade, fueled by soaring global gold prices and weak traceability systems, has become one of the main drivers of deforestation and pollution throughout Latin America’s Amazon regions.

The consequences for the Atrato River and its people are devastating. Mercury, used to separate gold from ore, seeps into waterways, poisoning fish and other wildlife. River dolphins, once a common sight, have become rare, and the fish that Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities rely on for food are now contaminated. For those who depend on the river for their daily needs—drinking water, bathing, fishing, and farming—the threat is existential.

According to ABC News, the United Nations’ letter, made public on October 14, 2025, described the situation as a "grave human rights crisis." The contamination, it stressed, severely impacts Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, whose health and survival are at risk. The letter underscored that these communities rely on the Atrato for more than just sustenance; the river is also central to their cultural identity and way of life.

Despite the 2016 court ruling, which was hailed as a pioneering step in environmental law, the promised protections for the river and its people have not materialized. The U.N. rapporteurs criticized the Colombian government’s response as insufficient, pointing to ongoing illegal mining operations and the lack of effective enforcement. The Choco region, though rich in biodiversity, remains one of Colombia’s most impoverished areas, making its residents especially vulnerable to exploitation and environmental harm.

Illegal gold mining is not a new problem in Colombia or the wider Amazon basin, but recent years have seen an alarming escalation. The price of gold has soared, making illicit mining ever more lucrative. Weaknesses in global gold traceability systems mean that gold mined illegally—often with little regard for environmental or human health—can easily enter international supply chains. This demand, in turn, fuels further destruction, creating a cycle that is hard to break.

Environmental damage from mercury is not limited to the Atrato. Across Latin America, the metal has devastated ecosystems, killing off fish stocks and wildlife, and contaminating food sources for remote Indigenous communities. In the Amazon, for example, mercury pollution has been linked to declining populations of iconic species like river dolphins and has made fish unsafe to eat—an outcome with dire implications for food security.

But the crisis in the Atrato River basin is particularly acute because of the river’s centrality to the region’s people. For the Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities of Choco, the river is more than just a waterway; it is a source of life, culture, and spiritual meaning. The contamination of the river is, in effect, an attack on their very existence.

The United Nations’ intervention comes amid growing international concern over the environmental and human rights impacts of illegal mining. The organization has called on the Colombian government to step up enforcement, crack down on organized crime, and fulfill its obligations under the 2016 court ruling. The rapporteurs emphasized that without decisive action, the crisis will only deepen, with long-term consequences for both people and planet.

For its part, the Colombian government has acknowledged the challenges but has struggled to bring illegal mining under control. The combination of difficult terrain, powerful criminal groups, and limited state presence in remote areas has made enforcement a formidable task. Meanwhile, local communities continue to bear the brunt of pollution, with little recourse or support.

The U.N. letter is a call to action—not just for Colombia, but for the international community as well. As gold continues to fetch high prices on the world market, the responsibility to ensure ethical and sustainable sourcing falls on all players, from miners and traders to consumers and governments. Strengthening gold traceability systems and cracking down on illicit trade are seen as essential steps toward breaking the cycle of environmental destruction and human suffering.

At the same time, advocates argue that supporting the rights and livelihoods of local communities is critical. Many Afro-Colombian and Indigenous groups have long managed their lands sustainably, but face displacement and violence from those seeking to exploit natural resources. Ensuring their voices are heard and their rights respected, experts say, is key to any lasting solution.

The story of the Atrato River is, in many ways, a microcosm of broader struggles playing out across the Amazon and beyond. It is a tale of natural wealth and human ingenuity, but also of exploitation, neglect, and the urgent need for justice. As the world watches, the fate of the river and its people hangs in the balance—reminding us that the fight for environmental protection is inseparable from the fight for human rights.

With the United Nations’ warning now echoing across Colombia and the globe, the question remains: will this be the moment that spurs real change for the Atrato, or just another chapter in a long-running crisis?