Talk on the struggle against the Conga mega-project in Peru

Anti-mining leader Milton Sanchez Cubaswill speak on the struggle against the Conga mega-project in Peru

An expansion of the Yanacocha gold mine Cajamarca (northern Peru) has been announced.

Yanacocha is already the largest gold mine in Latin America and the second largest in the world,  the Conga project will also be situated in Cajamarca and is bound to generate new environmental impacts in an area that is already severely contaminated.

The local population and environmental movements have strongly protested the new mining project.

Milton Sanchez will tell us about the current state of the Conga project, he will share his experiences with opposition and repression and how peasants in the region benefit from and protect the environment.

The Conga Project

The Conga Project is a collaboration between Buenaventura (Peru), Newmont Mining (USA) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Peruvian government continues to argue the mine is needed for the economic development of the region, but on the ‘water versus gold’ dilemma the country is divided.

Some information in the media on the Conga project:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jul/05/peru-anti-mining-protests-escalate

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/05/peru-newmont-idUSL2E8I55FU20120705

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/28/us-peru-mining-politics-idUSBRE95R0XP20130628

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/29/peru-mining-conga-idUSL2N0EA12W20130529

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/world/americas/top-peruvian-official-quits-amid-protest-over-mining-project.html?_r=0

http://www.washingtonpost.com/posttv/business/newmont-ceo-on-gold-market-peru-project-review/2012/03/29/gIQAg19yiS_video.html