Peru Congress removes mining minister as small miners protest in streets Reuters
LIMA (Reuters) – Peru’s Congress ousted Energy and Mines Minister Romulo Mucho from his post on Tuesday as protesters from the Andean nation’s fledgling miners camped out at the legislature building in the capital and blocked traffic in South Africa.
Peru’s fledgling miners – most of whom do not work with the proper permits – wanted a two-year extension of the program that allows them to work part-time.
Authorities say the program, which was intended to legitimize miners, has led to an increase in illegal mining.
In Congress, lawyers argued that Mucho showed a lack of interest and/or ability to resolve the issue.
President Dina Boluarte must now accept the decision of the Congress within 72 hours and appoint a new minister of energy and mines, an important position in the world’s third largest producer and a key sector in the local economy.
There was no immediate comment from Mucho or Boluarte’s office.
Since last week, hundreds of small miners have set up camp in front of Congress, sleeping in tents, to protest the planned end of the program that allowed them to work, called REINFO. Across the South, some protesters blocked roadblocks.
REINFO is currently set to expire on December 31 and Mucho’s office last week sent a bill to Congress to set a six-month deadline after that date for all miners to do their jobs. Artisanal miners were not happy with the move, saying it was not enough time to legalize their work.
REINFO was first established more than ten years ago to legally operate small mines, and has been repeatedly expanded to several management positions since then.
However, the government suspects that artisanal miners have abused the system by digging in prohibited areas or on privately owned land.
Illegal mining in Peru is very profitable. In the first 10 months of this year, it brought in $1.1 billion, according to data from the local financial regulator. That will make it more profitable than the drug trade, the regulator said.
Small-scale miners are responsible for about 40% of Peru’s gold production, according to government data. Peru produced 99.7 million grams of gold in 2023, an annual increase of 2.8%.
