A legislative commission is currently being held in Peru against former president Alan García, investigating his management. It was revealed yesterday that the commission has officially recommended an parliamentary trial against García, due to corruption committed during his second term as president.

Alan García

The committee is investigating the management of social programmes controlled by García, who was president of Peru for two terms, from 1985 to 1990, and from 2006 to 2011. García is accused of the mismanagement of ‘Agua para Todos’, or ‘Water for All’, an accusation that if confirmed in Congress would prevent him from running in the next presidential elections. García has criticised the commission brought against him as a ploy to get him out of the running for the 2016 presidential race, and slated the commission as having “no legal or political value”.

The commission recommended in a close vote to investigate the former president, and the process will now continue to Congress. Then, if approved by two thirds of the 130 members of the Peruvian legislature, García will be disqualified from holding public office again.

During the commission, García labelled the proceedings as a smokescreen to cover the resignation of minister of foreign affairs Rafael Roncagliolo, which he believes to have been “an order by the Venezuelan government”. Leader of Peru’s National Unity party Lourdes Flores criticised yesterday’s resignation as a “huge sign of weakness” from current President Ollanta Humala for taking into account the criticisms against Roncagliolo by Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.

However, the official statement from the Peruvian government remains that Roncagliolo “departed the Cabinet of Ministers due solely to his health problems”. Eda Rivas Franchini has since been named as minister.

Indigenous protesters in Peru (photo courtesy of Pulsar)

The road is located in the region of Loreto, North Peru. The protests are being made in a bid to raise awareness of the problems related to deforestation and environment preservation.

The indigenous groups claim that deforestation is “causing the poisoning of the lagoons and affecting primary forests”. They place blame on companies that have been given concessions and territorial permits by the local authorities.

Police arrived and evicted a number of the protestors but many returned, resulting in further confrontations. Workers’ unions from the city of Yurmiguas, in the Peruvian Amazon, joined the protest, which has prevented traffic flow from exiting and entering the city. Many people and cars are stranded as a result.

The provincial governor, Manuel Polo Valera, requested that protestors leave the area but Ronald Perez Lomas, an indigenous leader, refused, saying that the strike will continue for 72 hours. A group also marched through the city demanding local businesses close their doors in protest.

Indigenous leaders expressed that they do not want to punish the city, stating that their protest is against the government. “We are defending our Amazon from large logging companies,” protestors told local press.

Sunset near the heart of Lima’s financial center. Skyline of Canaval & Moreyra in San Isidro, Lima by David Baggins, on Flickr

This year, the World Economic Forum on Latin America will be hosted in the Peruvian capital of Lima. The event is scheduled to run over two days, from 23rd-25th April with the slogan ‘Creating Growth, Strengthening Societies’.

This will be the first time that Peru has hosted this international event, and it is set to take place in a well known hotel in the flourishing district of San Isidro.

According to the Peruvian foreign minister, Rafael Roncagliolo, around 40 dignitaries including governors and heads of state, along with around 500 executives from the regions most important businesses from Europe and Asia-Pacific are expected to attend what is considered to be the most important event in the region.

Also known as the ‘Forum of Davos’, the forum will address the following points: social innovation, competition/innovation, sustainable development, natural resources, and energy and mining.

At the top of the Peruvian agenda is the consolidation of investment promotion policies, productivity in business and tourism as a means of strengthening the country’s economic growth, and, finally, social inclusion in the Peruvian economy. It also seeks to position itself at the centre of attention in matters of politics and economics in Latin America.

More generally, the forum will focus on current affairs, especially as regards the outlook for Latin American economies, and to promote the links between Peruvian companies and their foreign counterparts.

Over the last three years the forum has been held in Puerto Vallarta in Mexico in 2012, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2011, and Cartagena de Indias, Colombia in 2010.

Peruvian Amazon (photo by D. Raiser on Wikipedia)

The Peruvian Environment Minister, Manuel Pulgar Vidal, affirmed that claims against the multinational Argentine business Pluspetrol will be pursued. The company was accused of being responsible for a series of oil spills that contaminated rivers and lakes in the Pastaza River Basin in the Peruvian side of the Amazon.

Pulgar Vidal confirmed that the president, Ollanta Humala, had indicated that this type of environmental contamination will not remain unpunished. “You cannot permit a business to assume its obligations in such an irresponsible way, and damaging the population,” Vidal said.

The Peruvian government declared an emergency in the Pastaza river basin in the Loreto region for 90 days. During this time, they will clean the contaminated zones to avoid causing health problems in the indigenous communities.

Congresswoman Verónica Mendoza travelled to the contaminated area and presented a report to various media outlets, saying that the pollution problem is due to a Peruvian state that has been very lax on its environmental regulations.

“The state has not penalised anyone for the oil spills, and it has permitted indigenous populations that inhabit these areas to need to consume contaminated water and fish infected with metals,” she said.

In 2012, the business Pluspetrol received a fine of 11 million dollars, but the multinational company appealed to the court to avoid paying the fines. The representative of the business in the city of Lima said that the company is analysing the situation, but did not give any more details.

Story courtesy of Agencia Púlsar, the AMARC-ALC news agency.

Peruvian Amazon Rivers (Photo: Marta P on Flickr)

Peruvian officials have declared a state of environmental emergency in the Amazon, accusing an Argentine oil company of polluting rivers and lagoons for years.

Pluspetrol, the largest oil producer in Peru, has been operating for over a decade in the oil fields near the Pastaza River and surrounding basin, which is now suffering from severe pollution.

Two Peruvian congressmen and a team of specialists from the Environmental Ministry recorded the effects of oil spills, leading the government to demand that the oil company clean more than 100 contaminated sites, which they failed to do.

Environment Minister Manuel Pulgar-Vidal told local press, “This is terrible behavior, the company failed to clean up the mess they illegally caused.”

Congresswoman Marisol Pérez Tello revealed that the Peruvian state initially granted Pluspetrol with a license to “contaminate every kilo of land with 30 grams of oil.” Environmental organisations and many government officials have criticised the authorities for entering such liberal negotiations with the company.

Indigenous families are in danger of being contaminated as they use the rivers as a source of food. “The terrible thing is that they are still feeding on fish that are swimming in the oil and waste,” said a government official.

Landslides and over flowing rivers caused by heavy rainfall have forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes in Peru.

Plaza de armas, Cajamarca by morrissey, on Flickr

The northwest region of Cajamarca has been worst affected, with 450 families abandoning their properties. Flavio Silva Cabrejo, regional chief of the National Institute for Civil Defence, explained to the national press that the rains have caused major damage in urban areas of several provinces including Cutervo and Chota.

The districts of Chetilla and Huacariz have also been badly hit by the downpour with 53 homes being swept away. The government’s meteorology department has reported that the rains are set to continue until the first half of April.

Silva Cabrejo said that “aid in the form of tents, mattresses, bed, blankets, kitchen utensils and water tanks have been handed out to the victims” and he asked the local authorities in the affected areas to “do all they can before the emergency services arrive.”

So far the rains, which began last month, have hit 17 of Peru’s 24 provinces and taken the lives of 31 people. Over 7,000 hectares of crops have also been destroyed, according to Civil Defence figures.

In the months of January and February alone, Peru experienced at least 222 incidents of social unrest.

A newly published report issued by the Ombudsman (the government body in charge of investigating individuals’ complaints against maladministration -especially that of public authorities) revealed that out of the 222 recorded incidents, 147 were related to the presence of mining activities.

Mining is dangerous to humans and the environment. Here Presidente Ollanta Humala participated in the successful 2012 rescue of miners from the mine “Cabeza Negro” in Ica, Peru. by Presidencia Perú, on Flickr

A further 20 incidents were related to disputes with regional governments, and 14 dealt with conflicts arising from territorial boundaries.

This year, new socio-environmental conflicts have arisen. For example, in Apurímac region the farming community of San Juan de Chacña has protested the presence of mining activity in the area citing fears of environmental pollution. The regions accounting for the highest figures for social unrest are: Áncash with 32, Apurímac with 20, and Puno with 19.

The Andean region of Puno in Southern Peru which is home to a large indigenous population (Aimara and Quechua), is currently experiencing strong social unrest arising from mining activity in the region.

Miriam Escalante, representative for the Ombudsman in Puno, asserts that in past years Puno was area with the highest amount of social unrest. Now however, “there are other regions where the social unrest has increased, which is why Puno is now in third place”.

Story courtesy of Agencia Púlsar (http://www.agenciapulsar.org/), the AMARC-ALC news agency.

Peru flag on Lake Titicaca by Sara & Enrique, on Flickr

Amidst other ongoing mining protests in northern Peru, the people of Cañaris have risen up against a foreign mining group that they believe to be contaminating the environment. The protests were exacerbated on Monday, as planned negotiations between community members and governmental representatives to address the issue were postponed at the last moment.

The families of Cañaris have been protesting the presence of Canadian mining company Candente Copper with claims that the company’s activities harm the environment.

Earlier this week the community learned that no major advances had been achieved between the central government and their community representatives who have been in contact to resolve the crisis.

The groups were scheduled to meet on Monday in Cañaris, but government officials moved the discussion to a later date and a different location just before the meeting was to start.

As news of the change reached the community, the people denounced that the governmental authorities were trying to outwit them, as the meeting originally scheduled to take place in Cañaris was changed to Huacapampya, two hours away from the initial location, and no community members were notified in advance.

The change provoked more protests, as the issue was seen as an indication that the government had not, in fact, intended to meet with the community to address their concerns about Candente Copper in the first place.

Cristobal Barrios, president of the Rural Workers’ Community of Cañaris lamented that the authorities had fooled them, stating, “The authorities are fooling us, because we were waiting for them anxiously and had prepared everything here in Cañaris. I believe that this shows that they don’t want to listen to the rural people.”

Peruvian authorities have explained the meeting relocation was done for security reasons and weather complications. A new negotiation panel is to be held on 6th April at the new location in Huacapampya. Although the Cañaris community anticipates that the government representatives may again change the logistics of the talks, they will continue fighting the mining company until they get a response.

The rural workers of Cañaris, in the country’s northern region of Lambayeque, are one of many Peruvian communities involved in such protests. The region is just west of Cajamarca, where, in the light of similar outcries, a referendum is to take place in July to address issues with a different mining company, Yanacocha.

Peru has recently been involved in other mining issues concerning illegal and informal projects, reported to exist in 21 regions within the country.

Last Friday a state of emergency was declared in nine districts in the Southern Andean region of Cuzco following torrential rains that have plagued the area since last October.

Peruvian Flag (Photo: nicolasnova on Flickr)

Thus far the regions of Arequipa, Cuzco, and San Martín have been the most seriously affected. Peru’s National Institute of Civil Defense (Indeci) announced this Sunday that the rains have claimed the lives of 33 people, produced 3,913 disaster victims, and directly affected the lives of a further 91,128 people. Working with both local and regional governments, the Indeci has mobilised to date 77 tons of humanitarian aid including: beds, sheets, clothes, tents, modulated housing, roofing sheets, foodstuffs, equipment, and tools. Rising damages/costs include the destruction of 917 houses, partial damages to a further 14,692, as well as the flooding of 1,000 hectares of crops.

A landslide that occurred in San Martín last year highlighted the risks faced by those living in high-risk zones. An official from the National Defense Organisation, Murgueytio, warned of the vulnerability of those living next to rivers.

The head of the National Centre for Assessment, Prevention, and Reduction of Disaster Risk, Melva González, responded to these concerns announcing that discussions are already underway with local authorities as regards planning for future disasters. In the search for a “definitive solution”, investigations into rising river levels have been carried out in Cuzco, Puno, and Madre de Dios. González went on to state that reconstruction works have already begun.

Region of Cajamarca. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons)

Two districts in the Cajamarca region in northern Peru will hold a referendum on 7th July to determine the future of the Conga mining project.

Representatives of the two districts travelled to the capital Lima to ask President Ollanta Humala to cancel the mining project, which they say will contaminate local water supplies and impact on the region’s biodiversity.

The Cajamarca Unitary Struggle Command (CUL), which is helping to organise the referendum, also said that it would maintain a permanent protest in the area to block any further mining activity in the meantime.

The ombudsman of Peru, Eduardo Vega, declared last week that the regional government did not have the authority to stage a referendum over the Conga project, as medium and large-scale mining activities are controlled by the national Ministry for Energy and Mines.

Representatives of the mining company Yanacocha say that a referendum would set a bad precedent not only for the Conga project but for the entire mining industry in Peru.

The debate over mining has damaged relations between the central government and the government of Cajamarca. Representatives of both met in January for the first time in six months, though no agreement on the Conga project was reached.

The Conga mining project, set to be the largest foreign investment in Peru, has been stalled since November 2011, due to public opposition to the project. In July last year protests over the project left three dead and 21 injured, leading the government to call a State of Emergency.