According to sources close to the company and a protest leader, a community in Peru's Andes blocked the highway used by MMG Ltd's Las bambas copper mine on Wednesday, demanding payment for the use of the road.
The new conflict occurred two weeks after the mining company resumed operations after another protest that forced Las bambas to close for more than 50 days, the longest in the mine's history.
According to photos posted on twitter, residents of Mara District in aprimak District blocked the highway with sticks and rubber tires, which was confirmed by a community leader to Reuters.
"We are blocking [the road] because the government is delaying the land assessment of the properties that the road passes through. This is an indefinite protest," Alex rock, one of the leaders of Mara, told Reuters.
Sources close to Las bambas also confirmed the blockade, but said it was not clear whether the protests would affect the transportation of copper concentrate.
After the previous operation interruption, MMG said that it expected the production and material transportation at the site to resume on June 11.
Peru is the second largest copper producer in the world, and Chinese funded Las banbas is one of the largest producers of red metals in the world.
Protests and lockouts have brought a major problem to the left-wing government of President pedrocastillo. When he took office last year, he promised to redistribute mining wealth, but he also faces the pressure of economic growth.
Las banbas alone accounts for 1 per cent of Peru's GDP.
Post time: Jun-23-2022