Peruvian mine protesters reject talks until emergency lifted

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Leaders of Peruvian indigenous tribes occupying an important copper mine told Reuters on Monday that they will only consent to discussions with authorities and corporate representatives if the government lifts its emergency decree for the region.

The fight over the Las Bambas mine, one of the world's largest copper mines and a significant contributor to the government's finances, has raised concerns about the South American country's significant mining sector.

On April 27, the government proclaimed a state of emergency in the region surrounding the mine, suspending civil rights, such as the right to assemble and protest. MMG Ltd. of China owns the mine.

Edison Vargas, a leader of the Fuerabamba community stated that "we're not going to participate if the state of emergency persists."

The Fueramba community and the Huancuire community are both protesting the mine. Vargas told Reuters that nearly 700 members of the community remain on the property.

Late this week, government authorities proposed negotiations for this weekend and invited Fuerabamba and Huancuire leaders to attend.

Members of the Fuerabamba and Huancuire villages stormed the mine on April 14 and established a protest camp, forcing the business to cease operations a week later. According to community groups, the mine has not completely followed its previous agreements.

On Monday, Alexander Raul, a Huancuire community advisor, stated that the Huancuire demonstrators will not back down.

"We're around 300 people still here who are sticking with the protest," he stated.

Normally, it accounts for 2% of worldwide red metal output. Last week, the authorities attempted but failed to evict the Huancuire community.

Members of the Fuerabamba community had been ejected a few days before but had later re-entered, according to officials from both groups.