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A four-day roadblock in Peru by protesters seeking greater benefits from natural resource exploitation is disrupting operations at MMG Ltd’s Las Bambas copper mine, one of the country’s largest.
Residents of three communities in the Chumbivilcas province of the Andean region of Cusco, 1,100 km (700 miles) southeast of the capital Lima, began the blockade July 23.
Top management at Las Bambas, which produces about 400,000 tons of copper a year, declined to comment on the protest.
Communities living around the mine often complain that they see little benefit from the wealth it generates and periodically block roads that bring its products to the coast for export.
The last protest, in late 2020, lasted several weeks and forced the company to declare force majeure on some contracts.
The protesters are hoping for a final resolution of their demands from the incoming government of President Pedro Castillo.
“Most of us supported Castillo and this issue must be heard and resolved by the new government.”
Castillo, a former teacher and union leader, has promised to raise taxes on the mining industry to fund his plans for greater investment in health and education.
The mining industry comprises 60 percent of Peru’s exports, mainly for the Chinese market.
