Conflict in Peru over oil spills in the Amazon

On Sunday, an indigenous community in the Peruvian Amazon captured a helicopter and held the crew and several government officials hostage to demand support and compensation for the Petro-Perú oil spills earlier this year that damaged their lands. According to Deputy Culture Minister Patricia Balbuena, the Wampis indigenous community was mistakenly not included on the government’s official list of affected indigenous groups that would receive supplies and support. She stressed, “It's a mistake that should be corrected as soon as possible.”

Fortunately, this incident is one of the rare social conflicts in Peru to be resolved quickly through a negotiated settlement. On Tuesday, the Wampis indigenous community released the helicopter and its crew after they reached an agreement with Peruvian state-owned oil company Petro-Perú. The oil company said that, “The deal encompasses a range of actions aimed at improving the life quality in the area, establishing guidelines and arrangements for a join effort in the long term with the Indigenous communities of the Peruvian Amazon.”

In mining-related news, Peru’s Deputy Minister of Mines Guillermo Shinno announced that, in 2015, Peru was the world’s second-leading silver producer, ranking one spot higher than it did in 2014. He also noted that Peru accounts for 21% of the world’s silver reserves, adding that the country also ranks third globally for copper and zinc reserves.