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At 4:30 am local time Monday, police confronted 800 community members in an attempt to clear a roadblock in Alpamarca, district of Parcoy, province of Pataz, and region of La Libertad in the northwest of Peru. Two civilians are reported dead and 23 injured all due to gun wounds. However, the community has denied reports the two police officers were injured by gunshots. The occupation of the road was a civil disobedience action after failed dialogues with gold mining company Consorcio Minero Horizonte.
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The protest broke out after attempts by the community to meet representatives of the company on Sunday afternoon failed. The community members blocked the Chilcapamba road that connects to the mine site called Bernabe. Then approximately 130-armed police officers were sent to confront protesters meeting them at the farming community Juan Velasco Alvarado. Those injured were transported to the facilities of the mine or the closest city, Trujillo, for treatment. One of the deceased is 55-year-old Pedro Valle Sandoval. The second one has not yet been identified.
According to district Governor Ronal Zavaleta, the community members accuse the company of the spill that is contaminating the local lake Pias. Manuel Quijano Muñoz, advisor to the province said, “the spill is filtering into one of the rivers that feeds Pias and this is harming the population. We have to take immediate actions.”
However, Horizonte accused the demonstrators of breaking a pipe in order to have a reason to protest. The company also claimed that what is really behind the protests are demands by the community for informal mining concessions. The legal manager of Horizonte, Ernesto Bendezu issued a press release claiming the problem started when the community “demanded the construction of a mine and access to the company's facilities.”
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The National Office for Dialogue and Sustainability said the community members in the area confronted police with guns and dynamite but former major Angel Ponce Simon denied such claims and defended the community from any responsibility for the deaths. Zavalete added that the police were acting under contract by the company and not as public servants. However, Ponce did confirm that in additional to the spill, the protest was also due to the company's failure to comply with previous agreements to support local informal miners to mine gold from an abandoned pit.
Consorcio Minero Horizonte is a local venture and the fifth largest gold mine in the country. It specializes in exploration, extraction, and development of gold and also invests in hydroelectric ventures. Public records show the company has on average a production of around 190,000 ounces of gold per year.
According to local news outlet, Pataz Noticias, the company is widely denounced in the area due to serious environmental contamination precedents. In 2015, the State Organism for Environmental Evaluation and Auditing fined Consorcio Minero Horizonte eight times.
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