Photo: Presidencia Perú.
The eviction in Morococha, carried out on September 19, marks the latest episode in a conflict that has dragged on for more than a decade in the Peruvian Andes. In 2012, Chinese mining company Chinalco, a subsidiary of the state-owned Aluminum Corporation of China (Chinalco), began relocating over 5,000 residents to make way for the Toromocho copper project, one of China’s largest mining investments in Latin America, with more than US $4.8 billion invested in its development and expansion.
Although the company offered resettlement in Nueva Morococha, a purpose-built town in Carhuacoto, many families refused, arguing that the site was unsafe and unsuitable. Built on marshland and close to geological faults, the new town also faced problems with accessibility, infrastructure, and basic services. Concerns intensified when studies revealed arsenic and lead contamination exceeding legal limits by more than eleven times, raising serious public health risks, particularly among children who later tested positive for elevated lead levels.
The September police operation, involving more than 250 officers, forcibly removed the last families resisting relocation. Residents testified that they were denied the chance to retrieve their belongings, while livestock was seized and transported under questionable conditions. “What we experienced was dispossession,” one local resident stated, claiming that their property rights were disregarded and compensation was inadequate.
The controversy highlights the broader debate over the role of Chinese companies in Peru’s mining sector. While Chinalco has brought significant investment, jobs, and royalties, its presence in Morococha has also been associated with allegations of human rights violations, lack of transparency, and limited dialogue with the community. The case reflects recurring tensions in Peru, where the promise of economic growth through large-scale mining projects often clashes with the social and environmental costs borne by local populations.
As global demand for copper grows, driven by its central role in the energy transition and electric mobility, China is seeking to secure long-term supplies in Latin America. Yet, cases like Morococha raise pressing questions about the need for stronger oversight and accountability mechanisms, as well as the limits of foreign investment when entire communities are displaced in the name of resource extraction.
* Original text in Spanish. Translated by Large Language Model (LLM) technology.
Main Source:
Morococha: el pueblo expropiado por la minera Chinalco – La República
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