Peru's mining minister loses job as gold miners occupy capital streets
Peruʼs Congress fired its mining minister while small-scale miners protest in Lima for mining rights extension. The protesters demand more time to make their work legal‚ as current permits end this year
Perus Congress has removed Romulo Mucho from his energy-mines minister position‚ while hundreds of small-scale miners set-up camps near the parliament building (showing their non-stop protest against mining rules)
The miners who dont have proper permits are asking for a two-year extension of REINFO program; which lets them work short-term. However government says this set-up made non-legal mining grow bigger
The law-makers decided that Mucho showed poor work on fixing the problem: now President Dina Boluarte needs to pick new minister in 72 hrs for this key job in copper-rich country
- Miners sleep in tents near Congress
- South region has road-blocks
- Program ends dec-31-2024
- Ministers office wanted 6-month fix
The ten-year-old REINFO program aimed to make small mining legal but govt says miners often break rules: mining where its not allowed or on other peoples land. Non-legal mining brings huge money - about $1.1B in first part of 2024; more profit than drug sales
Small-scale miners make 40% of Perus gold; with country making 99.7M grams last year - up from year before. The miners say six months isnt enough to make their work follow rules‚ while blocking streets in capital
