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2015 Peruvian protests against Las Bambas mining project

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2015 Peruvian protests against Las Bambas mining project
Location of Cotabambas Province, the hotbed of protests
Date28 September 2015–present
Location
Peru Apurímac Region, Peru
Caused byLas Bambas mining project
Resulted in
Parties
Anti-mining activists
Locals
FDIC
Lead figures

Jaime Osorio

Number
15,000
1,500 police officers
150 soldiers
Casualties and losses
4 dead
15 injured
22 arrested
8 injured

The protests escalated on 29 September, when four people were killed and dozens injured in clashes between demonstrators and police, prompting President Ollanta Humala to decree a state of emergency.

29 September clashes

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See also: Las Bambas copper mine
External videos
video icon Three killed in protest at massive copper mine in Peru on Reuters

On 29 September, an estimated 15,000 people gathered in Challhuahuacho to protest against a $7.4 billion copper mine project. Locals in the region are concerned that the copper mine project will cause environmental damage to the Andean area.[1][2] Peruvian authorities sent 1,500 police officers and 150 soldiers to the area. Several hundred demonstrators attacked the mine installations and clashed with police, who responded with tear gas.[3] The protest escalated, after law enforcers opened fire on protesters,[4] killing four of them. The four fatalities were all local men.[5] In a press conference, authorities confirmed that Uriel Elguera Chilca (34), Beto Chahuallo Huillca (24) and Alberto Cárdenas Chalco (23) died from gunshots on way to Cusco,[6] while Exaltación Huamaní (30) succumbed to death at Challhuahuacho hospital.[6] Likewise, 23 other people, including eight policemen,[7] were injured in ensuing clashes. Officials say ambulances couldn't reach the local clinic following the attack because police also shot at a vehicle carrying doctors.[8]

MMG says that Las Bambas has reserves of 6.9 million tons of copper and expects to produce more than 2 million tons of copper concentrate in its first five years.[9] The deposit was discovered at more than 4,000 meters above sea level and will become one of the largest copper mines in the world once it is in full production. Construction started on 10 August and began operations in early 2016.[10][11]

Reactions

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Peruvian President Ollanta Humala regretted the loss of lives during the violent repression of the protest and called on calm and for dialogue. He also stated that "many of the protest leaders (...) come from outside the region and are using the protests to promote their campaigns for the April 2016 general elections".

Humala decreed the emergency for 30 days in the southern Andean regions of Cusco and Apurímac,[12] where the mine, Las Bambas, owned by China's MMG Ltd., is under construction.[13] The state of emergency applies to six provinces.[14] Suspending civil liberties and authorizing military patrols, the government announced that more troops would be sent to Apurímac "to restore internal peace".[15] Interior Minister José Luis Pérez Guadalupe said radical groups from outside the area had provoked the clashes.[16]

Amnesty International's executive director in Peru, Marina Navarro, called the deaths "unacceptable" in an email sent to the AP. "The price of social protests should not be the death of any person", the statement said.

References

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  1. ^ "Peru anti-mining protest sees deadly clashes – BBC News". Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  2. ^ "Nuevo conflicto minero en Perú deja un saldo de cuatro muertos". Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  3. ^ "Peru declares emergency at Las Bambas – BNamericas". Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  4. ^ "Three dead as Peruvian farmers and police clash at $7.4bn Chinese mine". the Guardian. Associated Press. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  5. ^ Briceno | AP, Franklin (2015-09-28). "Peru suspends civil liberties after anti-mining clash". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2015-09-29. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  6. ^ a b Comercio, El. "Las Bambas: confirman que son 4 muertos por enfrentamientos". elcomercio.pe. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  7. ^ "Peru declares state of emergency after anti-mining protest deaths". Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  8. ^ "Peru: Soldiers Open Fire at Anti-Mining Protest, Killing 3". Democracy Now!. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  9. ^ "2 killed as police, protesters clash over Peru copper mine". Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  10. ^ "Peru declares state of emergency over mining plant violence". Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  11. ^ "MMG Limited | Las Bambas". www.mmg.com. Archived from the original on 2015-02-07. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  12. ^ Quigley, John. "Peru Declares Emergency After Three Die in MMG Mine Protest". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  13. ^ "Peru declares state of emergency in mining region – BBC News". Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  14. ^ "Deaths in Mining Protest Spur Emergency Declaration in Peru". Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  15. ^ "Peru Martial Law: Civil Liberties Suspended After Anti-Mining Protest Leaves 4 Dead". Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  16. ^ "Two killed in protest at $7.4-billion MMG copper project in Peru". Reuters. 2015-09-29. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
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