Page 5 - LatAmOil Week 32

LatAmOil COMMENTARY LatAmOil

It said it had asked Peru’s National Police to pro- development.
vide extra security at the field after the takeover, At the same time, oil and gas developers
which occurred on August 2, but noted that con- are concerned about maintaining their access
ditions had deteriorated quickly. to licence areas. The Peruvian Hydrocarbons
“The police had dispatched about 40 officers Society, a national industry group, alleged last
to act in a preventive manner to discourage any week that the protests at Bretaña were part of an
violence from the protesters, and a local pros- ongoing campaign by indigenous communities
ecutor from nearby Requena came along to be to force officials in Lima to take their side. The
able to report on any disturbances ... In the late authorities ought to respond by carrying out an
hours of August 8, 2020, and into the early hours impartial and detailed investigation “at this cru-
of August 9, 2020, an armed group of protest- cial moment in the health and economic crisis
ers, mostly from areas outside of Bretaña, con- that threatens Peru,” it said.
fronted the national police force,” PetroTal said. In the meantime, representatives of indige-
After the demonstrators arrived at the nous groups and the government are sparring
Bretaña field camp, it explained, they clashed over the question of how to assign blame for the
with policemen. This clash led to around a dozen deaths and injuries at Bretaña on the night of “
injuries on both sides and also resulted in the August 8-9. Peruvian authorities have declared The protests at
death of three protesters, it said. that protesters fired first on members of the
The company stated that it was co-operating National Police, while the Regional Association PetroTal’s field
with Peruvian authorities during the review of of Indigenous Peoples of the East (ORPIO), are driven by
the incident. It also reported that it had evacu- an organisation formed by local communities,
ated all non-essential personnel from Bretaña, have asserted that PetroTal’s own security guards concern about
with “a key group remaining on hand to com- were the first to shoot.
mence production when it’s appropriate, at the rights of
which time the remaining crew will be brought Potential for further conflict
back into the field under the appropriate The Canadian company is not the first upstream the indigenous
COVID-19 protocol.” operator to clash with members of indigenous citizens of Peru
PetroTal noted that the demonstrators had groups.
taken action in the hope of securing more gov- It is, however, operating in Peru at a time
ernment funding, in the form of healthcare ser- when that country’s government is actively
vices and economic aid, to confront the virus. working to decide how to protect these commu-
Peru is currently experiencing a second wave of nities’ interests. Earlier this year, a Peruvian con-
COVID-19 infections, and the pandemic has gressional commission unanimously approved
hurt the economy. According to Walter Gut- proposed legislation that would impose a com-
ierrez, the national human rights ombudsman, plete ban on extractive activities – including
there were 162 coronavirus-related protests in mining, as well as oil and gas production – in
the country during the months of June and July. areas populated by specific indigenous groups.
The commission’s decision paved the way for
Not just money the introduction of this legislation, in the form
But money isn’t the only issue at hand. of an amendment to an existing law, to members
The protests also appear to be driven by con- of Peru’s Congress. However, legislators recently
cerns about the rights of indigenous citizens of began their recess without making any decisions
Peru. The demonstrators are reportedly mem- about the fate of the amendment.
bers of the Kukama indigenous community, When legislators convene again, they will be
one of many groups that have criticised the under a certain amount of pressure to address
government for failing to ensure the delivery the matter.
of basic services and for neglecting the need to As such, PetroTal should probably prepare
address the environmental damage their home- for the possibility of further conflict with indig-
lands have incurred as a result of oil and gas enous communities later in the year. ™

Culture Minister Alejandro Neyra led a government delegation that visited the field on August 9 (Photo: Andina)

Week 32 13•August•2020 www. NEWSBASE .com P5