Disclaimer: The views, and claims, expressed in this statement are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of Duravision Inc., Dominica News Online, or any of its subsidiary brands.
Official Statement from the Kalinago Council in Response to a Press Release Dated April 15, 2026 Issued by Anthony S. Charles, Parliamentary Representative for the Marigot Constituency.
The Kalinago Council wishes to express its deep concerns regarding a recent statement/press release issued by Mr. Anthony S. Charles; the Parliamentary Representative for Marigot Constituency, captioned – Statement on Mining Operations at Deux Branches for International Airport Construction, which have been in circulation on social media and on radio.
In response to what the Council considers to be a very troubling statement, the Council is perforce to quote the opening line of Mr. Charles statement which states, “The people of Marigot have always stood for progress that respects both development and the rights of our citizens” (emphasis ours)
Clearly, Mr. Charles seems to be inferring in that statement, that the citizens of Concord and the Kalinago Territory are not subjected to that same “respect and rights” as citizens, as referenced in his statement.
It must be noted that the Kalinago Council, is mandated and has the sole responsibility of protecting the welfare, interest, and future of the Kalinago people. It is also worth noting that for generations, our people have endured systemic marginalization, cultural erosion, and attempts at assimilation, even near-genocidal pressures. Yet, we remain resilient, grounded in our identity, and sustained by our lands and natural resources.
The Concord River, which runs right within the vicinity of Deux Branches is part of our lifeline. The said river has supported the livelihoods through tourism, sustains daily living, and holds cultural and environmental significance for the Kalinago people. Any development that undermines and threatens the integrity of the river and our water source must be treated with utmost seriousness and transparency.
It therefore begs the question: Has Mr. Charles held any discussions with the Council and/or the citizens of Concord and the Kalinago people regarding the statement in his press release which states: “To safeguard our environment, comprehensive mitigation measures are being implemented at the Deux Branches site”? What are these comprehensive mitigation measures?
It is also worth noting that the recently published Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), which incidentally, (the developers) never discussed with the citizens of Concord or the Kalinago people, raises alarming concerns. It revealed the presence of E. Coli contamination in the river as far back as November 2025, information that was never communicated to the affected communities, despite continued use of the river by residents.
Even more troubling are findings of mercury deposits and arsenic levels reportedly up to five hundred times above the World Health Organization’s recommended limits. These are not minor oversights; they are serious public health risks with long-term implications, including increased cancer susceptibility. It is unacceptable that such critical information was withheld from the very people most at risk.
These public health issues warranted the Development and Planning Corporation – The Planning Authority – Chapter 84:01 Laws of Dominica to issue a Stop Order – Physical Planning Act Chap 63:05 – Dated December 1, 2025 – citing in the Stop Order the following offense “you have threaten and/or affected the health and safety of the public” and requiring the operators to IMMEDIATELY STOP the mining works at Deux Branches.
It is therefore, extremely disturbing that Mr. Charles should state in his press release “The fair compensation and with these safeguards in place, then we must proceed” (emphasis ours) seeking to advocate action(s) in clear violation of the laws of the Commonwealth of Dominica.
The Council has been reliably informed that suitable stone/aggregate resources required for the airport’s development can be sourced from alternate quarry on the island. This underscores the importance of carefully evaluating alternatives that would avoid unnecessary environmental and social disruption within the Kalinago Territory, consequent upon mining and quarry operations at Deux Branches.
Furthermore, Mr. Charles, in his capacity as Parliamentary Representative, has not made any meaningful effort to engage the people of Marigot or Concord regarding these ongoing developments. There has been no consultation, no dialogue, and no demonstration of advocacy on behalf of the communities of Marigot and Concord at a time when leadership is most needed.
The Kalinago people will not stand by while decisions are made that jeopardize our health, environment, and heritage. We assert our right to be informed, consulted, and actively involved in any development that impacts our People and our resources.
The Council, stands committed and will continue to defend the integrity of the Kalinago Territory and the well-being of our people. We stand ready and available to engage in dialogue with Mr. Charles on the issue, should he be willing to engage in such dialogue.
In closing, we, the Council calls for immediate transparency, accountability, and meaningful engagement as well as for the respect of the laws of the Commonwealth of Dominica, before any further actions are taken in the Deux Branches area.
Signed:
Chief Anette Sanford and
Councilors
I am happy to see people standing up for their rights.
what I would like to know is,” why didn’t she reach out to Hon Charles like a diplomat”?
(clearing the air)also she said that Hon Charles did not have ANY dialog with the people of marigot. that is not true. He did a full interview on all matters relating to marigot including the des branches concern…
I listen to this chief very well and I admire her fowardness but she is digging holes she will not be able to cover.why is it necessary to come and talk about kalinago being marginalized?what does that have to do with Hon Charles statement?stop picking fights for fighting sake, stop making people think that the Kalinago people are not respected & treated as equals or even better than the average Dominican.this needs to stop and this des branches is being used as a scapegoat to vent.you are picking unnecessary fights and after you leave the kalinago people will have to live with your actions.
pig waste is going in that…
đź‘Ťđź‘Ťđź‘Ťđź‘Ť
Greta, please come to Dominica.
The majority of Dominicans,Dominicans who have studied pass events know MINING when is is mentioned in Dominica know it is a political weapon.Between 1995 and 2000 it was said that UWP had plans to mine the Layou valley for copper.The Dominican people demonstrated,later that copper statement was political,that may have been one of the reasons UWP lost the 2000 election.In 2026 that same copper mining has returned.That is why the demonstrators do not use the word quarry ofcourse,they the know Deux Branche IS a quarry.Querrying activities have taken place at Deux Branche before,at the time there was no bacteria,no ecoli,no poison and no destruction of the concord river.Maybe when it comes to querrying for the international airport it is no more querying but mining.Dominicans must never forget Jerry Brisbane was against building the State house,he called it house of malice.Athie Martin was for and lately against Geothermal.Nasio Fontaine have the DREAD mentality,BABYLON must fall.
The Council has raised some important issues, which should have been addressed in the development stages of the project. Has the Chief raised these matters with the Prime Minister, with the aim of reaching a suitable resolution?
“..Even more troubling are findings of mercury deposits and arsenic levels reportedly up to five hundred times above the World Health Organization’s recommended limits….” Could the honorable Cheif explain how the WHO can set a limit on mercury deposits an arsenic levels coming from the earth? The cheif should seek help presenting technical matters ment for public consumption. Cut and paste is not the way.
Bravo Chief Sanford! I just wished the serving President Of Dca would be honest with those hellbent on destroying Deux-Branch by telling them its time to STOP the madness.
Anthony Charles has deceptively become a lover of the red cool-aid for his own interest. I am certain that a majority of his constituents are in support of the fight that IP, David, Nasio and others are undertaking for love of country. However, he choose to look the other way for reasons we can only imagine. I would really love to hear from IP, Lennox, Brian, Eddo, Soulpuss and Delbert on a rebuttal or support for Mr. Charles since he claims to be the voice of Marigot. OH DOMINICA! My hear bleeds for thee..
You ought to get someone to write these things for you. It’s overly long, meandering, and doesn’t state your position succinctly enough. Nevertheless, I support most of what you are saying.
Get a life!
Hope that the Marigot Village Council dissociates itself from those alarming and harmful statements of Mr Anthony Charles.
is it because: he has a different opinion?
This chief should be ignored with her political biasness.They have been told over and over again NO MINING is taking place at Deux Branche,but for political reasons she and her puppets continue to say mining is taking place.Deux Branche IS a quarry,querrying operations has been conducted there before.There was no mention about bacteria,ecoli and poison in river,no mention about Kalinago using river.No river have ever been destroyed in Dominica because of quarrying.All of a sudden the Kalinago and her expert know there is poison in the concord river,a river the Kalinago people have been using for hundreds of years.Deux Branche and the Concord river is not part of the 3,700 acre Kalinago territory.And even if the river was every river is the property of the government of Dominica.The project must go on.Best advise to the chief is to charge black Dominicans a $150 fee for passing through and visiting the Kalinago territory.She cannot stop progress and he cannot stop development.
Exactly what is expected from an uninformed, functionally illiterate cultist of a rogue political party.
At the very least she is qualified in her field of work to interject in this road development venture………….I wonder where do you fit in?
She did her research
where is yours?
some of you all people politics is just loose, flat, and uninspiring quite frankly
de qualities that she possess puts her far above de shoulders of political bias
I have had my own experience in works of this nature
I have seen cliffs collapse and trucks and excavators tumbling over because of de ignorance of some contractors hired by government,
And I have also been on de team to come on site and lock it down because of de ignorance of contractors hired by government and greedy truckers and machine operators.
Not quite certain what civil engineering knowledge Mr Charles possess ,,,,,,,,,,,,but I pray that de land itself doesn’t teach you a lesson.
Some Dominicans so dunce when it comes to their politics.
De Chief is doing what Skerrit would do if he was Chief. To say dat she is politically bias only shows where some Dominicans put their true Dominican heritage. De descendants of African slaves met Kalinago on this land and by all means Kalinagos have a dam right to defend their original land and heritage.
On de other hand, if Skerrit was Kalinago………we can just imagine what he would be doing all over our sweet Waitukubuli and carrying it’s name with pride across every nation he set his foot on.
He is such a boast that is de least I would expect from him.
However, history has already recorded de dlp dispute with our first female Kalinago Chief.
Just now you will see who going to pretend that they love and respect Kalinago more than any other political party……you will see who will talk about all that they have done for Dominica’s first peoples since they come into office….you will see who will be taking credit
Your advocacy on this important matter is well received……….I applaud you Chief.
It is quite shameful of our Government to have a project of this magnitude come to this.
Personally, I think that the government is ignorant in it’s actions.
This road development could have been implemented with more community involvement. That is de government that insists it always involves de people who will be most adversely affected by government actions such as this.
Imagine de Kalinago Chief is coming out publicly…….I hope that we de general public can see de line of communication that has been going on between government and de Kalinago Territory and other communities that would be directly affected by this road development.
Something not right and it is clear and obvious
De people of de Kalinago Territory should bear this in mind whenever they visit de polls.
The proper thing for MP Anthony Charles to before pontificating on any serious issue which adversely affect a large section of the constituency, is to hold consultation with the electors and those they serve. Obviously, MP Charles has found wanting in this respect.
Fortunately, Mr. Charles is a one term me!her of parliament. He got elected strictly by default. Under normal circumstances, Mr. Charles would have remained a political non-entity. He will regain that status after the next election.
Ironically, the people who ignore you now will somehow nerd you later. Anthony Charles you are a goner. Enjoy your last months of attention.
Well done Chief Sanford and the Kalinago Council! This response perfectly captures the hypocrisy in Mr. Charles’ statement. By prioritizing the rights of the citizens of Marigot while ignoring the Kalinago Territory, he treats an entire community like an afterthought. The most damaging part, however, is the timeline: if the developers knew about the toxic mercury and arsenic levels in November 2025 and stayed silent, it is no longer just a failure to communicate- it may well be a case of blatant negligence that has put lives at risk.