There are no signs of a solution to the conflict in The Bambas and clashes between community members, company workers and the Policeman they are increasingly violent, unleashing chaos and leaving many injured.
Precisely brutal violence was what happened on the day of last Thursday and whose details are just being known. Broken bones, broken jaws, shattered teeth, and bruises on the head and other parts of the body are the result of the attacks received by Las Bambas security personnel by the Fuerabamba community members who, armed with Molotov cocktails, stones, and other instruments, entered the mining properties and unleashed all their violence as a reaction to the eviction carried out by the Police the day before.
“They wanted to undress me. ‘We are going to rape you, we are going to kill you,’ they shouted. They grabbed a giant stone and threw it at my right foot. Now my bone is broken and misaligned and I have to have pin surgery. In addition, I have five points in my head”, said Cinthia Malaspina, security supervisor of the mining company about the events that occurred on Thursday the 28th, around 2:00 p.m.
Cristian Silva, another member of security, said that they tried to set him on fire, but he managed to avoid the alcohol that they were going to spray on him. “The stones began to fall on me. My teeth have been fractured; I have them split in half and others folded,” he added.
José Luis Chávez and Emilio Mosqueda joined these testimonies and narrated that they received several impacts from pellets after their shields and helmets were destroyed. In total, there were 11 security members who experienced that day of panic. Six of them remain seriously injured.
MILLIONAIRE DAMAGES
The Geotec company, a contractor that carries out drilling and exploration for Las Bambas, was also affected by the acts of violence. In the absence of solutions, it could fire more than 50% of its 400 workers.
“20% will be affected anyway and if the activity in the mine continues to be paralyzed, we will have to dispense with the services of up to 50% of our specialized personnel,” Christiam Arce, head of Contracts & Valuations at Geotec, told Perú21.
This company has 15 pieces of equipment in Las Bambas, each valued at approximately US$750,000, of which only eight are safely stored. Three of them were burned and the condition of another four is not certain, Arce said.
THERE WILL BE NO DIALOGUE
The Fuerabamba community announced that it will reject the proposal of the PCM dialogue table, convened for Saturday, May 7.
“For us, it is a mockery and an offense that now we have just received a letter where the premier wants to talk with us, when we have requested it at the time. After they have massacred us, I don’t think we are going to accept this meeting,” said Edison Vargas, president of the community.
In addition, he assured that he is not responsible for what happens in the event that the mining company tries to resume its operations.
As of Friday, at least one group of community members continued to occupy the mine grounds while operations remain paralyzed.
KEEP IN MIND
- Since April 18, the Las Bambas mine has had its operations paralyzed, with daily losses of S/39 million.
- On April 27, the community faced a violent eviction led by the Peruvian National Police.
- The community members remain stationed in the area of Manantiales, which is the access gate to the mine.
- In total, 32 civilians and 12 police officers were injured in the acts of violence on Thursday, April 28.
