Peru's mining permit system faces uncertain future as protests grow
Peruʼs congress committee approved short-term extension for small-scale miners registry despite government resistance. Miners block roads and camp near legislature demanding longer extension period
Peruʼs mining sector faces new-found challenges as the Energy and Mining Committee gave initial ok for six-month extension of REINFO (a system thats been active for about 10 years)
The temporary-permit scheme which ends Dec 31st 2023 lets small-scale miners work while getting official papers; however government thinks its being mis-used for non-legal operations
Last week Romulo Mucho lost his position as Energy-Mines Minister after congress removed him — this happened right in middle of miner protests. The small-scale workers dont like committees short extension plan: they want two years instead
The situation got more complex when artisanal miners started protests:
- Southern transport routes blocked for over 7 days
- Hundreds of miners camping near congress building
- Work stoppages in multiple mining areas
The committee-approved bill needs full congress vote to become real; meanwhile informal gold-miners keep showing their dis-satisfaction with current proposal (which aims to be one-time thing)
The whole registry system — that got many extensions before — makes government worried because they think it helped spread illegal mining activities across countryʼs territory
