PERU

PERU

Ancash citizens start new protests against Barrick Gold

Lima, Peru (CNR)

2nd May 2007

Various civil society organisations of the Huaylas Callejón started a series of protests against the mining company Barrick Misquichilca. The company refuses to paralyse its exploration work on the Condorhuain mountain even though the area was declared.

This is what Juan Navarro, representative of the National Confederation of Communities Affected by Mining (CONACAMI), informed, and whom accused the head of the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) Juan Valdivia of disrupting the negotiations between the inhabitants of the affected area and the representatives of the Canadian company.

"The leaders of CORECAMI (Regional CONACAMI) in Ancash are working hard to have the authorities in general place attention on the problem of Condorhuain mountain. Previously, we already held a dialogue, thanks to the regional strike on the 11th and 12th of April, but the good will of the head of the MEM is missing." he said.

The protests by the inhabitants were made with the backing to the Ancash Regional Government, the provincial municipality of Huaraz and other institutions that support the protection of the Condorhuain mountain, where various rivers originate.

Barrick Misquichilca has executed, since some months ago, a mining exploitation study in this sector, however, the community inhabitants in Condorhuain denounced that the company never solicited authorisation and that they are operating, shielded by the permission given by the Regional Energy and Mines Office in Ancash.