2024-07-14 15:40:53
The beginning of the fights against large-scale mining, in response to the government’s comment on the promotion of the execution of projects that are built by the public, such as Conga or Tía María, opens the possibility of making a defeat to Boluarte and the company in the field of class struggle and correct the balance of forces in favor of the working class and poor people.
By Victor Montes
In response to the demands of the big mining companies, and seeking their support, the government of Dina Boluarte has expressed to the four winds its decision to “open” the mining investment portfolio, starting by reactivating the mining activities that build widely, such as the “Conga” Gold Mining Project (Cajamarca Region) or the Tía María copper mining project (Arequipa Region), and with this take advantage of the situation of copper prices.
This project is a declaration of war to areas that have faced mining exploitation in the water sources of the basins or the sources of the rivers, and near the valleys of important agricultural production, such as the Tambo Valley in Arequipa.
Therefore, the same areas, set in their defense fronts1came out to respond without delay to the government’s statements, declaring their desire to go out to fight immediately.
Cajamarca in front: Colpayoc does not go!
Cajamarca has a long tradition of fighting against mining forces. Since 1992, when the Fujimori government granted the current Yanacocha gold mine (the most important in the country), the areas affected by water pollution began their collection, becoming leaders in this fight.
It is not strange, then, that it is the people of Cajamarca who immediately came out to reject the government’s statements and oppose the mining companies.
On May 10, thousands of community members from the Chetilla region (Cajamarca region in Cajamarca), residents of different areas surrounding the Colpayoc gold mine, gathered in the area where the mining company is carrying out exploration activities. (Cerro Colpayoc, in the region). Hamlet of Majadaspampa), tried to burn the machines used to explore to determine the quality of the mineral in the area. In April, a similar campaign targeted those carrying out the exploration activities.
Locals in the Chetilla region said the project is located in the Ronquillo, Chonta and Cushunga river basins. Which is related to the Mashcón rivers and then to the Cajarmarquino River. The reason is that the project will damage its main water sources, as happened with the Río Grande, which feeds acidic water to the historic city of Cajamarca.
Community members are in the fight. For this reason, the defense fronts of the regions of Chetilla, Ronquillo and Cajamarca said publicly the resignation of the minister of energy and mines, Rómulo Mucho, who announced the arrival in Cajamarca to “promote mining activities” for June 21. of it has passed, and has been declared ‘the enemy of sustainable development’.
Recalling the speech that led the fight of the Cajamarcan people against the Conga mining operation, during the reign of Ollanta Humala (“Conga doesn’t work!“), members of the community of Chetillo raised: Colpayoc did not go!
Tambo Valley returns to fighting
For their part, the residents of the Tambo Valley quickly held a large meeting with representatives of farmers, traders and citizens in general from the regions of Cocachacra, Punta de Bombon, Dean Valdivia and Mollendo, in which they decided to restart their struggle and plan. an action for July 19.
The Tambo Valley struggle dates back to 2009, and is one of the symbols of the struggle against the loss of large mining companies. With frequent activities, the residents of the Tambo Valley have attacked time and again the efforts of successive governments (Alan García, Ollanta Humala, Pedro Pablo Kuzsynski and Vizcarra) to give way to the project that belongs to the Transnational Southern Peru Cooper Corporation, which has operated in Peru since the late 1950s.
The possibility of resuming human activities may become a litmus test for Boluarte’s dictatorial regime. Every time a government has tried to promote Tía María, the people of the Tambo Valley have faced fierce opposition and have retreated.
What should employees do?
For all the workers in the country, the resumption of the mining struggles and the possibility of defeating the Boluarte government’s attempt opens a great opportunity to change the dynamics of the class struggle, which after the violent repression with which the government ordered at the beginning of 2023, the massacre of 49 fighters, has suffered a clear backlash.
The workers must, therefore, support this struggle unitedly and actively and mobilize against the terrorism that the government can launch in Cajamarca, Arequipa, and wherever it intends to steal our resources.
However, mobilizing can’t only have unity. The struggle of peasants and indigenous communities against mining exploitation has a strong foundation: the fight against the government of our resourcesprotected by the neoliberal economic model, and fighting the destruction of the ecosystems that allow them to survive. Therefore, for the working class, these struggles are a great challenge of carrying the flags of the affected population, peasants and indigenous people, as their own and fighting in the union. Starting by seeking unrestricted respect for the former, the characteristic consultation of the communities that will be affected by mining, oil and forestry activities.
Only from this position, is it possible for the working class to become the leader of the whole process to direct it towards the only basic solution with which we can guarantee the demands of the same areas: the government of the workers, the peasants, the people indigenous and all the poor.
As we said before, The struggle of the population against mining is an expression of the struggle of the people against the government’s looting that leaves only the misery and destruction of the community.which makes it possible for peasants and indigenous communities to resume their basic economic activities once the mining is over.
Therefore, in principle, both the communities that oppose the start of new mining activities, especially those that affect agricultural production, and the workers and the poor of the city, face the same enemy. The enemy that has its main representative is the government of Dina Boluarte, who wants to draw blood and fire the progress of stealing our resources.
Therefore, with the cessation of the mining project in question, it is important fight for the unpaid takeover of already operating mining companies. So it is important that together with the demands of the working class and the fight against the retrogression of the laws approved by Congress, the fight against the beginning of the Tía María project, the fight against exploration in Colpayoc, against Michiquillay and the Conga project become a national struggle -language, of all national workers, for the defeat of Boluarte, the Congress and against the government.
#Peru #fight #mining #activities #opens #perspective