On Monday, July 15, protesters blocked a portion of Peru’s main coastal highway to challenge a copper-mining project carried by Southern Copper Corp.
“Protesters from the area bordering Southern Copper Corp’s $1.4 billion Tia Maria copper mine project in the south of Peru carried signs and flags as they occupied a section of the highway, snarling traffic for cargo vehicles and others”, Firstpost published.
According to residents, this project pollutes farmers’ fields and also affects their water supplies.
“We are not going to talk. We want the presence of President (Martin) Vizcarra with the cancellation of the project,” Luis Cornejo, mayor of Cocachacra, told Reuters, referencing the construction permit granted by the government on July 9, as you can read in the article.
It is not the first time protests occur against this project. In 2011 and 2015 at least six protesters were killed in clashes with the police.
