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US Energy company must suspend oil exploration until government of Belize obtains free, prior and informed consent of Toledo's Maya and Garifuna peoples, says new report
US Capital Energy Belize, Ltd must suspend its oil exploration immediately in Toledo, and resume activities only if the Belizean government obtains the free, prior and informed consent of the Maya and Garifuna peoples who live in the area…‘Toledo District, Belize, is the ancestral homeland of indigenous Maya people and Afro-descendant Garifuna people. Under human rights law, the government of Belize is obliged to protect and ensure Maya and Garifuna land rights. Private businesses operating in the area also have a duty to respect these rights,' says Lucy Claridge, Minority Rights Group International (MRG) Head of Law…