Perú is a poor person in a golden bench: PROTESTS IN LAS BAMBAS COPPER MINE : A wealth redistribution issue ?

24 de junio de 2022

PROTESTS IN LAS BAMBAS COPPER MINE : A wealth redistribution issue ?

Since late 2021, protests are occuring in the copper mine of Las Bambas in the Apurimac region. It is not the first episode of protests the mine owned by the chinese government backed company MMG is facing, since protests already happened back in 2015 when the mining project began, deplacing the Fuerabamba community from their lands. Nowadays, they are block roads to/from the mine, or are taking over infrastructures, occupying it, and then blocking the production.

The community complain about the lack of compensation they received after being forced to relocate. Promises were made about the development of infrastructures in their area or more broadly, a fair compensation from the mine profits redistribution.

Who is responsable for this ? It is difficult to say.

Other mines officials believe the fault is mainly the Government's. They argument that the mine gave out enough of its profits, and that the problem is not about them not redistributing, but more about how the money they gave have been managed and processed by the State.

However this argument can be heard, even missmanaged, such quantities of money should still allows some development projects to emerge. Considering passed missconduct, we can only be suspicious of corruption or at least public fund embezzling. Also, it is always an easy way for private companies officials to criticize the way a State manages his money, particularly when it's a socialist stamped government, to descredit this very government and to redirect the fire of criticism they should receive. (imo)

Anyway, whoever the responsibles for this are, the Fuerabamba community is left behind, as so many before her in those kind of project. This time, as they did from the beghining, they decided to stand up for themselves, and to claim money from the exploitation of the gold from the bench they used to sat on (metafphorically).

https://www.miningweekly.com/article/peru-community-rejects-joke-offer-to-end-las-bambas-copper-mine-protest-2021-12-13

https://www.reuters.com/business/hk-listed-mmg-cease-copper-operations-peru-mine-2021-12-03/

https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/peru-mining-protests-risk-clogging-53-bln-investment-pipeline-industry-warns-2022-05-17/

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-61161250

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/peruvian-mine-protesters-reject-talks-until-emergency-order-lifted-2022-05-03/

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About us

This saying is always the first thing that comes to our mind whenever we talk about Peru’s wealth. But, it is also about two hundred years old, and its statement might be irrelevant nowadays. All along this blog, we will ask ourselves whether or not this statement is still accurate in our modern era. But in order to properly define what we are talking about, we will summarize what is implied throughout the expression mendicant sitting on a golden bench. By the time this saying appeared, a large amount of Peru’s population found themselves very poor (the mendicant), which is a shame considering how rich in opportunities the territory is, in raw materials (such as steel, silver and gold of course) in particular (the golden bench). That being said, our objective is to determine if those inherent riches are profitable to the whole peruvian population, or if the runoff of the country’s wealth doesn’t occur (and why). We are six students of the San Ignacio de Loyola University who are trying to understand the way peruvian society works, why Peruvians don't take advantage of their resources. That's why we want to show the world the great things Peru has to offer like food high in vitamins and minerals and can do wonders for your health, or the different landscapes with geographical differences that makes Peru a country where you can find beaches, deserts, mountains, snow and jungles, what makes this country so diverse. However, we will try to decide what ways to take action and (as responsible citizens) create a new culture of development in order to take advantage of all resources that this beautiful territory has to provide us. One of the riches that Peru has that we still do not know is "Peruvian Andean caviar" is a spherical or flattened algae of Andean origin. Its appearance is small wet and shiny green spheres. It is rich in proteins and with healing values in the Peruvian culture. This algae is used to make Peruvian dishes such as locro and saltados, as well as salads. It grows in streams or lagoons of the Andes above 3000 meters of altitude. Its name in the Quechua language is Cushuro and Murmunta. While the poverty rate - appears at 45% - is only marginally decreasing, and even increasing in the mountains, Peru displays an insolent economic health. However, the country is not sufficiently exploiting its growth potential due to major structural weaknesses. Peru ranks among the world's top five producers of gold, silver, copper, zinc and tin, the country also has large reserves of natural gas and oil, although it is a net importer of energy. So what about revenue? really serve Peruvians? because more than half of the population still lives in conditions of extreme poverty. The country has the strongest growth in Latin America and the lowest inflation, however, is this wealth fairly redistributed?