Peru Villagers Agree to Lift Copper Mine Blockade in Short Truce

(Bloomberg) -- Protesters agreed to lift a blockade of one of Peru’s biggest copper mines, calling a truce until a meeting with the country’s prime minister at the end of the month. 

The Chumbivilcas communities agreed to suspend their blockade of MMG Ltd.’s Las Bambas mine until a Dec. 30 meeting with Prime Minister Mirtha Vasquez, Victor Villa, legal adviser for the communities, said in a telephone interview. The Hantun Collana community was yet to decide weather to join the truce.  

Villages in the vicinity of the mine had threatened to seize their territory in the country’s copper-mining corridor as MMG’s offers of recompense in the form of money and trucking jobs had been insufficient to ease protests.

During talks Tuesday, the government proposed creating a special zone in the southern mining corridor territory claimed by the communities and used by Las Bambas. Communities will also be included in contracts with the company.

“Finally, the government has an idea of what to do in the area,” Villa said.

The communities are also concerned about the consequences a possible change in the cabinet of President Pedro Castillo could have for an agreement.

The Las Bambas mine was fully shut down Saturday morning after weeks of blockade.

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