Bolivian President Evo Morales has revoked the mining license of the Canadian mining company South American Silver following a series of protests by indigenous groups. Thousands of people marched on Bolivia’s capital last month, and a group of protesters later took workers hostage to demand that South American Silver give up control of the Malku Khota mine. On Tuesday, Morales said he had listened to protesters’ demands.

Bolivian President Evo Morales: “Are you going to be mad at each other like angry siblings because of an international company that has come to loot our natural resources? We have realized that we had to live like our ancestors did, like you consciously do. These resources belong to the Bolivian state and its people, therefore to be exploited and explored by the government with the help of the natives from the region. That’s what the accord is all about.”