Peasant protests stop mine construction in Peru

Peasants protest at the Conga mine in Cajamarca Peru

The huge protests against an open cast gold mine in Peru has put a stop to the project, at least for the time being. A US company, Newmont Corp, has decided to halt construction of the mine after a genral strike and protests by the local population. The protesters say that the construction of the mine will cause massive pollution and affect local water supplies. The mining company is buying time in the hope that it can cajole, trick and coerce protesters in to backing off; they call it "compromise".  "For the sake of re-establishing tranquility and social peace in Cajamarca (region), it has been decided to suspend the project's activities,"the mine owners have said according to the BBC.

The mining company is hoping to move water from natural lakes in to reservoirs that the company would build. I have to say that I am not too well read on this issue but I would hazard a guess that it is all about water rights and selling water for profit. Those opposing the shifting of water from lakes in to to what are basically storage facilities by a private company say the reservoirs can't replace the lakes.  The lakes also provide groundwater for farmers and water for their livestock. 

Once this precious natural resource gets in to the privately owned storage facilities of the US owned mining corporation though, they will be able  to sell it for a price.  It will be a much more lucrative deal than water sitting there in a lake won't it?

This area of Peru is a farming community and there have been severe clashes with the police as well as destruction of machinery by the protesters.  The mine owners are saying the project will create jobs and locals see that this will come at the expense of what little independence and sustenance they have from living off the land.

We are seeing the same struggle here that has been going on all over Latin America between national governments and their subservience to the global corporations and local, mainly indigenous populations defending their land and their livelihood based on it.

You can read more details about this issue here.