March 2026
Washington looks beyond oil
As the United States brokered access to Venezuela's gold, reporting pointed to American interest in the country's minerals beyond oil.
Mineral resources
Iron, bauxite, aluminium and coltan are being opened to foreign investors by an administration whose authority is disputed, before Venezuelans have voted on who should manage them.
WHAT WE DO
Our work on mineral resources
Venezuela Decides follows every agreement the current administration makes over the country's minerals, from mining concessions under the reformed law to foreign interest in iron, bauxite and coltan. We document who is party to each deal, on what terms and under what legal authority, and the human and environmental cost of extraction in the south. Decisions over these resources belong to a government chosen in free elections, and any agreement made before then must be open to scrutiny and review.
NEWS ARCHIVE
News from 2026
Newest first. Entries with less precise dates follow dated entries within the same period.
6 January 2026
After the oil, the minerals
As the United States pursued Venezuela's oil, attention turned to whether it would also lay claim to the country's minerals.
5 January 2026
A critical-minerals target
Analysts began asking whether Venezuela was becoming a critical-minerals target, as outside interest turned to its iron, bauxite and coltan.
2026
Mining opened to foreign investors
A sweeping mining law opens iron, bauxite, aluminium, coltan and other minerals to foreign investors.
31 August 2020
An Amazon gold rush
With oil revenues under strain, reporting described Venezuela fuelling an Amazon gold rush that draws in foreign extraction.
Historical context. The publication date has been checked against the cited source.
4 February 2020
The human cost of the mines
Human Rights Watch has documented violent abuses in Venezuela's illegal gold mines, a reminder that opening the minerals carries a human price, not only an economic one.
Historical context. The publication date has been checked against the cited source.
Summaries from the editorial selection. Historical items retain their original dates.
DEMOCRACY. HUMAN RIGHTS. THE RULE OF LAW.