The chair of the Front in Defense of Bambamarca, Edy Benavidez, said “we have broken almost every state of emergency because our mobilizations continue as a reaction to the coward attack of the national police and the orders of the minister of the Interior to attack people”.

There is a lot of army and police presence in the town of Bambamarca, said Benavidez. There is constant tension. However, “our people continue to take to the streets and we, as leaders, have asked the government to lift the state of emergency to avoid more confrontation, more provocation by the police”, he said. “We don’t want this to have more social costs. No more deaths. The people should decide, and the government should respect its decision”. The leader also asked Humala’s administration that Yanacocha “should stop operating to prevent the people from acting”.

Five people died and tens were injured in the police repression that followed a demonstration against this dam held on July 3 in Celendin, one of the most affected areas. On July 4 another civilian was killed in confrontations between demonstrators and the Bambamarca police, also in a demonstration against Conga.

In May, four civilians were killed in another police repression against a peasant demonstration opposing Tintaya mining project (ran by Swiss company Xstrata) in Espinar province, Cusco department, according to reports by social and international organizations. Tens of people were detained, especially the leaders of the affected communities.

We have “a blessing and a curse”, said Benavidez, because there is water everywhere, but there is also the threat of mining corporations since nearly 150 years, which have already dried up two major rivers. There are still two major rivers left, where Conga’s gold and copper project is located.

The project had the official approval after the company benefited from new conditions imposed by president Humala. But the potential damage to the water sources are a reason for concern for the peasant communities of the area, who need water to live and for their livelihood, especially considering that Yanacocha has a record of drying up rivers, said Benavidez.

“We must defend our basin at all costs”, he said. He also mentioned that there are 280 lagoons in Alto Peru so this is “a very important fresh water reserve”. He warned that if Conga project goes through “thousands of peasants would be left without water for cattle farming and agriculture”.

He said “we are aware and are certain that mining does not bring about development. We therefore ask the government to invest more in sustainable development model such as agriculture, cattle farming, ecotourism and fishing. We want the government to be flexible and to stop being arrogant, to listen to the people’s needs”.

Benavidez said the peoples of Cajamarca that demonstrate against Conga have proven that this project is not viable and so they are asking Humala’s administration to so declare it. He claimed they reject all act of violence and that they have been resisting peacefully for over nine months. “We have always tried to avoid social costs, but it seems the government wanted that to declare the state of emergency, that is when the police attacked our people”, he regretted. But he then added: “we shall continue resisting until we defeat this project”.

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