By Wendy Anders

Indigenous community leaders in Nicaragua’s Atlantic coastal region filed this week for an injunction with the Nicaraguan Supreme Court regarding the country’s proposed canal project reported Nicaragua’s daily La Prensa.

Community leaders are allegedly in disagreement with Hector Thomas, president of the Rama Kriol Territorial Government (GTR-K), who signed a consentment agreement with the Gran Canal Development Commission.

A previous appeal regarding this agreement made by Thomas with canal developers was rejected by a lower court.

Rupert Allen Claire Duncan, president of the Monkey Point Kriol community, said that local residents were not convened for a consultation process priori to Thomas signing the agreement, reported La Prensa.

The agreement established the creation of a leasing contract for 263 square kilometers of Rama – Kriol lands in order for the canal to be built.

Additionally, Duncan said that local residents presented their case before the Inter-American Human Rights Commission in 2014 when the Grand Canal Law (Law 840) was passed without holding a public consultation process that took into consideration their territorial lands.

The Rama Kriol Territory is made up of nine communities each of which sends two leaders to represent them on the territorial government.

Leaders claim that the regional government and the canal commission did not inform or consult with Monkey Point and Bangkukuk Taik, two of the region’s community’s that would be heavily affected if the canal were to be built, stated La Prensa.