COMMODITIES MARCH 1, 202310:26 AM UPDATED 6 DAYS AGOLosses from...

COMMODITIES MARCH 1, 202310:26 AM UPDATED 6 DAYS AGO
Losses from major tin mine in Peru exceed $100 million as unrest continues

By Marco Aquino LIMA (Reuters) -

Lost sales from a closed tin mine in Peru operated by state-run Minsur reach $118 million, a company executive said on Tuesday, as two months of anti-government protests in the country have prevented a restart to operations.

Minsur’s San Rafael de Puno tin mine normally produces about 9% of global tin, according to company data, but it closed operations in January after protests erupted following the December ouster and jailing of former President Pedro Castillo.The mine is located near many of the most intense protests that have engulfed the country’s Andean south since the removal of Castillo, who had attempted to illegally dissolve Congress and rule by decree.

“We continue talking with the leaders of the area,” said Gonzalo Quijandria, Minsur’s head of corporate affairs, stressing that 4,500 jobs were at risk.“We need to get back to work,” he said, adding that the mine could resume operations in days if conditions allowed it.

The mine first closed temporarily in what it described at the time as a gesture of solidarity with victims of an especially deadly protest, but later announced it was forced to shutter indefinitely due to security concerns.

While some local communities voiced support for resuming operations at a meeting on Monday, more radical community leaders further away continue to block key roads used to transport supplies and output, according to a Minsur spokesperson.