Join the campaign to protect a beautiful nature reserve from becoming a NATO military base
Roots Action & World BEYOND War
(February 2, 2023) — Montenegro has a new prime minister who promised to save Sinjajevina. Please sign the petition and ask others to do so! The petition asks for:
• Ensuring the removal of the military training ground in Sinjajevina in a legally binding manner.
• Creating a protected area in Sinjajevina co-designed and co-governed by local communities.
Sinjajevina is the Balkans’ biggest mountain grassland and a place of outstanding beauty. It is used by more than 500 families of farmers and nearly 3,000 people. Many of its pastures are governed communally by eight different Montenegrin tribes, and the Sinjajevina plateau is part of the Tara Canyon Biosphere Reserve at the same time as it is bordered by two UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Nature and Local Communities in Danger
Now the environment and the livelihoods of those traditional communities are in imminent danger: the Montenegrin government, supported by important NATO allies, established a military training ground in the very heart of these community lands, despite thousands of signatures against it and without any environmental, health, or socio-economic impact assessments.
Severely threatening Sinjajevina’s unique ecosystems and local communities, the government has also halted a planned regional park for the protection and promotion of nature and culture, the majority of whose project design cost of almost 300,000 Euros was paid by the EU, and which was included in Montenegro’s official spatial plan until 2020.
European Union Must Stand with Sinjajevina
Montenegro wants to be part of the European Union and the EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement is leading those conversations. The Commissioner must urge the Montenegrin government to meet European standards, close the military training ground, and create a protected area in Sinjajevina, as preconditions to join the EU.
Saving Sinjajevina is a #MissionPossible
The local people have put their bodies in the way and prevented military exercises on their land — an amazing victory! The movement was awarded the War Abolisher of 2021 Award. But they need our help to make their success permanent and end all efforts to build a NATO military base or training area in Montenegro. Please sign the petition!
ACTION ALERT: NATO Troops Arrived
Last Night on the Mountains We’re Trying to Save
(February 3, 2023) — The people of Montenegro, led by the Save Sinjajevina campaign, have done everything people can do to prevent atrocities in so-called democracies. They’ve won over public opinion. They’ve elected officials promising to protect their mountains. They’ve lobbied, organized public protests, and made themselves into human shields. They show no signs of planning to give up, much less to believe the UK’s official position that this mountain destruction is environmentalism, while NATO has been threatening to use Sinjajevina for war training in May 2023!
Last night, 250 NATO soldiers arrived in Sinjajevina! They claim that they will do no artillery shooting, just alpinistic exercises. The Prime Minister of Montenegro Dritan Abazovic had promised on television two weeks ago that there would not be any military activities in Sinjajevina. He’s broken another promise.
Six members of Save Sinjajevina are now in place where they had a large resistance camp in 2020. Despite temperatures of -10ºC they are organizing a nonviolent resistance effort yet again.
The place where the people are gathering is called Margita. They have celebrated the anniversary of their resistance at that spot. They have engraved on a rock there with golden letters a phrase of legend dedicating it to resistance.
Not welcome notice written in the snow.
For background information, a petition to sign, a form to donate, and more photos and videos, go to https://worldbeyondwar.org/sinjajevina
We need as many people as possible to sign the petition and to make donations. Please spread this far and wide.
