A rage has set among hundreds of small hamlets across Peru as communities see little benefit from the mineral wealth on their doorstep and blame mining for damaging their livelihoods as subsistence farmers reut.rs/3yz64FK 1/7
‘All the wealth of Apurimac goes before our eyes,’ farmer Gabino Leon told Reuters at his home, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) from MMG's Las Bambas mine, which started production in 2016 and supplies some 2% of the world's copper. ‘But it leaves us with nothing’ 2/7
Communities around Peru have long been skeptical of the benefits of mining to their lives. But they are growing bolder under socialist President Pedro Castillo, who came to power in July pledging to shake up the mining sector and redistribute copper profits more fairly 3/7
Interviews with over 60 people from local communities revealed the main complaints: pollution affecting water sources, a lack of infrastructure or jobs, and dust from trucks locals blamed for killing crops and animals 4/7
Mining protests have increased since Castillo came to office, and most take place in Andean localities where he received overwhelming support, according to a report by the nonprofit Observatory of Mining Conflicts 5/7
Silver miner Hochschild has been hit hard by the Castillo administration and blockades of mines have impacted large copper miners. The companies argue they pay large amounts in taxes, create jobs and deny that they create harmful pollution 6/7
But the tensions have put Peru on edge. They raise questions over the future of investment in a country where the economy is dependent on mining income, even as global copper prices soar near record highs reut.rs/3yz64FK 7/7
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