SUBJECT: :: Lima, Peru
:: November 25, 2024
:: Miners have demonstrated plans to end a scheme that allows them to work informally
:: The program expires in December, and critics say it will stop illegal mining from growing
Pedro Yaranga, Risk management specialist
“The registry for the establishment of illegal miners has been around for 12 years or more, it is a process for the establishment of miners. Unfortunately so far they have not been solved, not because the miners do not want it, but because the process is slow and on top of that, it has a series of requirements that the miner could never meet.
“If there are government and political interests, this cannot be done. This will be a ticking time bomb that could have a tragic cost in the coming years”
A government bill sent to Congress last week gave small-scale miners six months to adjust their jobs after the current program expires on December 31, but miners say that time is not enough.
Hundreds have pitched tents near Congress since last week and thousands of miners wearing uniforms and plastic hats have blocked the main coastal road in the southern regions of Ica and Arequipa, leaving hundreds of trucks and vans stranded for up to five kilometers. The REINFO program, which was launched in 2012 to allow miners to temporarily wait for establishment, has multiplied with 85,000 registered miners but only 20% are legally registered, leading to mining in illegal areas and attacks on legal mines resulting in the death of up to 30 people in the past. two years.
Pedro Yaranga, an analyst who looks after the civil conflict in Peru, said that there is a strong competition between the Congress and the minorities that could increase. “If this is not resolved, it will be a ticking time bomb,” said Yaranga.
Peru produced 99.7 million grams of gold in 2023, a 2.8% year-on-year rise. According to the government, small-scale mining accounts for 40% of these minerals, while small-scale mining groups account for 50%.