The farming communities that have been blockading MMG’s Las Bambas copper mine in Peru since April 14 say they won’t meet with the Presidency of the Ministers’ Council (PCM) to discuss an end to their protest unless the Executive complies with a series of conditions.
In a letter sent to Prime Minister Aníbal Torres, the leaders of the Fuerabamba and Huancuire communities demanded that MMG join the dialogue table proposed by the PCM because, in their view, the miner has unresolved issues with the State and with those that live around the copper operation.
According to local media, the letter demands that the Council hosts the meeting, which is scheduled for May 10, in the southern town of Pumamarca and not in the proposed Tambobamba community, seen by the PCM as ‘neutral.’
The missive also asks for the inclusion of another four farming communities that were not initially considered in the dialogue process, namely the Chuicuni, Pumamarca, Choaquere and Chilla communities. In previous media statements, the president of Fuerabamba, Edison Vargas, had mentioned that the government had to consider dealing with all communities surrounding the mine.
Activists from Fuerabamba and Huancuire entered the mine over three weeks ago and set up camp inside, forcing Las Bambas to suspend operations a week later. They allege the miner has not fully honoured previous commitments with them. Fuerabamba was resettled almost a decade ago to make way for the construction of Las Bambas. Huancuire has not been resettled but is opposing MMG’s plans to expand its mining operations closer to its territory.
Chinese-owned Las Bambas is one of the world’s top copper producers, responsible for 2% of the global supply. The mine is also key to Peru’s economy, accounting for 1% of the Andean nation’s gross domestic product.
