PERU

Glencore evacuates personnel after protesters vandalize Antapaccay mine camp

Valentina Ruiz Leotaud | January 14, 2023 |

Antapaccay workers. (Reference image by Antapaccay).

The campsite at Glencore’s Antapaccay copper mine in southern Peru was vandalized by a group of people protesting against the country’s new president and demanding a general election.


According to local media, the incident took place on Friday morning when the protesters broke into the site’s water plant and set the facility on fire. The plant provides drinking water to over 6,000 people in nearby communities.

The Peruvian press pointed out that the company reported the incident to the police and asked for increased security measures around Antapaccay but their claims went unheard. Most national police officers have been deployed in the cities of Puno, Juliaca and Cusco as the government attempts to contain protests sprouting in different areas.

Given this response, Glencore issued a communiqué stating that management decided to evacuate most of the 2,400 people that were at the mining camp, among them staff and contract workers. Only essential personnel needed to maintain basic operations going will remain at the site.

Friday’s attack was not the first of its kind.

Glencore reported that on Thursday noon, criminals forced their entry into Antapaccay, burned two vehicles and trashed the accommodations used by overnight workers.

The president of the 11 Indigenous communities in Anttapacay’s area of influence, Flavio Huanqque, told La República newspaper that none of his communities participated in any of the attacks.

These and other demonstrations taking place across the Andean country pose a challenge to new President Dina Boluarte, as she tries to restore calm after the ouster of former President Pedro Castillo late last year.

MMG’s Las Bambas halts mining work on security concerns: TVPeru

Bloomberg News | January 14, 2023 

Las Bambas plant workers. (Image courtesy of MMG).

MMG Ltd’s Las Bambas copper mines halted activities because of unrest at another nearby mining site, according to TVPeru Noticias, citing a union leader.


The decision to stop work at the mine on Friday was made by the company to keep workers safe from violence as roads were blocked and protests continue over last month’s ouster of leftist President Pedro Castillo, said Erick Ramos Luna, union leader at the MMG’s Las Bambas mines.

A representative for MMG declined to comment.

Peru’s Boluarte Rules Out Resigning in National Address

Mining activities in Peru, the world’s second-largest copper producer, have been affected by shortages of materials because of unrest at the mine of Antapaccay, run by Glencore. Workers in Antapaccay threatened to take over the Las Bambas mine, prompting security measures, Ramos added.

“It’s highly likely that overall activities will be halted by next week,” he said.

Las Bambas had halted copper concentrate transportation this week amid broader protests in the Andean regions around the huge Chinese-owned mine.

Glencore’s Antapaccay, which is located along the same route used by Las Bambas to transport copper, was attacked on Tuesday and two cars were burned, the company said in a press release.

At least 40 people have died in political turmoil after the ouster and arrest of Castillo in December.

(Reporting by Fabiola Zerpa).