On Sunday, 11 December, Peruvian President Ollanta Humala ousted 10 members of his cabinet and replaced his prime minister with Oscar Valdés, a veteran army officer and hardline opponent of public protests.
A clash over the rights of mining communities played a large part in the administration overhaul. The former prime minister, Salomón Lerner, who resigned the day before the shakeup, had engaged in talks with demonstrators opposed to the country's $4.8 billion Conga gold mine—the largest individual investment project in Peru's history. In his resignation letter, Lerner indicated that disagreements with President Humala over the protests were one reason for his departure. Two of the other dismissed ministers were in charge of mining and environmental activities.
Despite early optimism about the Humala adminsitration's approach to community consultation and consent, the Conga gold project has ignited a crisis for the new government. Residents of the Cajamarca region have argued that the mine would pollute local drinking water. Local protesters, led by the region's governor, blocked roads in ongoing demonstrations that led the Newmont Mining Corporation to suspend work at the Conga mine.
On 4 December, the federal government imposed a state of emergency, detaining protest leaders and assuming control from regional authorities. Carlos Monge, RWI's Latin America regional coordinator, based in Lima, says he fears that the crisis will be used to usher in new mining and hydrocarbon projects.
"It's worrisome that the power of prime minister has been granted to [Oscar] Valdes," Monge told the Associated Press, "a former military man who incarnates the most authoritarian voice of the regime."
