"China's MMG to declare force majeure on copper from Peru mine as blockade continues", 26 Mar 2019

Chinese miner MMG Ltd [controlled by state-owned China Minmetals Corp Ltd]...said it expected to declare force majeure on contracts for copper from its Las Bambas deposit in Peru, hit by a weeks-long blockade by an indigenous community [Fuerabamba]...

The move comes after the indigenous community’s second-in-command said...that it would not take part in negotiations aimed at ending its blockade of a road used by MMG until its leader is freed from jail. Edison Vargas, the vice president of Fuerabamba, said by phone that the arrests last week of the community’s president and lawyers on accusations of extortion were groundless and aimed to delegitimize their complaints. Fuerabamba wants MMG to pay it for using a stretch of road on its farmland, accusing the company of building it to transport copper from its Las Bambas mine without the community’s permission.

The company denies those allegations and has said it remains open to dialogue. “Our primary focus remains on ensuring the health, safety and security of our employees, contractors and the community,” MMG CEO Gao Xiaoyu said in Tuesday’s filing to the Hong Kong bourse. “The company will continue to pursue active dialogue with Fuerabamba and other community representatives, as well as the authorities, to seek a safe and peaceful resolution to current concerns,” Gao added…