Peru: Illegal Gold Miners in Madre de Dios, Peru, Paralyze the Region with Protests

Dec 4, 2015 | Ruxandra Guidi, Mongabay
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Since November 23, the southeastern region of Madre de Dios in Peru has been paralyzed by street protests, road blockades, and tire burnings. Hundreds of illegal gold miners concentrated in the department’s capital, Puerto Maldonado, demanded that the government take back its plan to control illegal mining and logging. Specifically, they protested the introduction of Supreme Decree 013-2015 — which would supervise and control the sale of chemical compounds which could be used for illegal mining purposes — as well as Supreme Decree 1220, a measure that seeks to fight against illegal logging.