Peru communities to allow Las Bambas mine restart after 51-day shutdown

A group of indigenous Peruvian communities on Thursday said they would lift a protest against MMG Ltd's Las Bambas copper mine that forced the company to halt operations for more than 50 days, the longest in the mine's history. The two communities had entered the mine and settled inside in mid-April, forcing Las Bambas to halt operations.

A group of indigenous Peruvian communities on Thursday said they would lift a protest against MMG Ltd's Las Bambas copper mine that forced the company to halt operations for more than 50 days, the longest in the mine's history. Peru is the world's No. 2 copper producer and Chinese-owned Las Bambas is one of the world's largest producers of the red metal.

The protest, started by the communities of Fuerabamba and Huancuire, had created the worst crisis yet for Las Bambas, a mine known for its recurrent social conflicts. The two communities had entered the mine and settled inside in mid-April, forcing Las Bambas to halt operations. While Fuerabamba was evicted soon after that, Huancuire had managed to remain inside the mine until now.

Leaders from Fuerabamba and Huancuire said in a meeting with government and company representatives on Thursday that they were willing to grant a 30-day truce in exchange for a new round of talks. The meeting was still going on Thursday afternoon and no documents had been signed yet, formalizing the truce.

The communities allege Las Bambas has pending commitments with them. At the meeting, community leaders also demanded jobs for community members and for the reshuffling of top mine executives, who they blame for causing social conflicts.