The Peruvian government decreed a state of emergency, starting this Friday, in the districts of Caravelí and Atico, in the southern region of Arequipa, as a result of clashes between informal miners that caused the death of 14 people and 31 detainees.
The supreme decree that provides for a state of emergency in that area, for 60 days, was published this Friday in the official newspaper El Peruano and bears the signature of Vice President Dina Boluarte, given that the president, Pedro Castillo, is attending the IX Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, United States.
In this sense, during the validity of the state of emergency, the rights related to free transit and assembly, as well as others related to personal freedom and security, are suspended.
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The National Police of Peru will maintain control of internal order, with the support of the armed forces, and in compliance with the decrees that regulate the use of force for both institutions.
The decree detailed that the state of emergency in Caravelí and Atico was adopted at the request of the General Command of the National Police in order to restore and maintain control of internal order, after several weeks of conflict between informal miners from two companies that they allegedly invaded the territories of a third party dedicated to gold mining.
While the government declared an emergency in Arequipa, another supreme decree annulled this Friday a similar measure that had been decreed in two districts of the Apurímac region, where the communities had paralyzed the operations of the Las Bambas copper mine since April, but They have granted a truce to the Chinese company MMG for 30 days.
On the conflict in Arequipa, the Prosecutor’s Office confirmed on Thursday the arrest of 31 people who had cell phones with images of the alleged attack, weapons and ammunition seized.
At a press conference, the prosecutors in charge of the investigation indicated that, in the coming days, they have to rule on the legal situation of the detainees, who remain in a police station in Arequipa, to decide whether they will request preventive detention or another restrictive measure.
“We are waiting for the results of the atomic absorption that will allow us to define who has really used firearms,” said a representative of the Public Ministry.
The first seven deceased in the attack, who were located on Saturday, died of gunshot wounds in an area known as Huanaquita, in the district of Atico, in the province of Caravelí, confirmed the Prosecutor’s Office.
Another seven deceased appeared at the bottom of a ravine in the La Catarata area, last Tuesday, and they are currently working on their identification.
The Public Ministry handles the hypothesis that they suffered an attack, but the detainees declared to the prosecutors that they arrived in the area as security workers for one of the mining companies.
The Prosecutor’s Office explained that there is a history of confrontations between the companies Inti Gold and Renace Calpa, where the former wanted to evict the latter by force.
However, members of a third company, Atico Calpa, apparently also participated in the conflict, according to what residents told the local media.
On Thursday, the Peruvian Episcopal Conference (CEP) stated that it is “worrying” that these conflicts between groups of artisanal and informal miners “have not been identified and addressed in time” by the competent government and regional agencies.
In addition, the Peruvian bishops, meeting at the CEP, called in a statement for the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the ministries involved and Parliament to act “promptly and effectively to address this problem in a comprehensive manner” and “no more regret loss of human lives.
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