As protests continue in Arequipa against the Tia Maria copper mine project, the government this week authorized military support to the police who are guarding the Petroperu fuels terminal in Mollendo, in the province of Islay in northern Arequipa.
Early in August, military troops were sent to guard the nearby port of Matarani and ships were being sent further south to the port of Ilo in Moquegua.
The military back-up will be for 30 days to “ensure the control and maintenance of internal order” at the terminal. The resolution, published in the official gazette El Peruano, adds that the military intervention does not in any way restrict or suspend people’s fundamental rights.
It’s now 45 days since protests began in the Tambo Valley, in the Islay province where the Mollendo port and fuels terminal are located. Farmers fear that the Tia Maria open pit mine will reduce their water sources and pollute the Tambo River, as well as pollute the air with the overland transport of minerals from the mine to the port.
Children have returned to school, and highways are now open but farmers and their supporters continue their marches in the valley and in the city of Arequipa, 127 km further south. Several people have been arrested during these recent protests, and several police are reported to have been injured by masked protestors throwing stones with slingshots. One woman was reported injured this week by a tear gas cannister. Earlier protests, in 2011 and 2015, led to seven deaths.
The governor of Arequipa, Elmer Cáceres, and leaders in the Tambo Valley are demanding that the government cancel the construction license granted to Southern Copper in July to develop Tia Maria, and refuse to back down until the license is rescinded. The violence and obstruction of highways has affected the economy in the region and a growing number of provincial and district mayors are demanding that protestors seek peaceful negotiations. In Mollendo, and in many of the shanty towns, most people are in favor of the mine and face threats from the protestors.
