The US Army Corps of Engineers plans to close the area in the state of North Dakota where people have been camping for months to protest the continued construction of a controversial oil pipeline.
The chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe said Friday that the US Army Corps sent him a letter saying that activists protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline must shut down the Oceti Sakowin camp, which is one of the three camps located near the construction site.
“The letter states that the lands will be closed to public access for safety concerns,” Dave Archambault said in a statement.
Archambault said the land to be closed includes a sprawling encampment used by activists located on Army Corps land about 50 miles (80 km) south of Bismarck, the capital of North Dakota.
“Our Tribe is deeply disappointed in this decision by the United States, but our resolve to protect our water is stronger than ever,” he said. He is asking pipeline opponents to continue to…