Indigenous people seize some oil facilities in Peru

Indigenous people living on Peru’s largest oil field concession have seized some facilities operated by Frontera Energy Corp demanding that the government apply an indigenous rights law before signing a new contract with the Canadian company, a tribal chieftain said on Tuesday.

The so-called prior consultation law, passed in 2011, requires the government to seek input from indigenous people before approving any development plans that might affect them.

Tribal chiefs in Frontera’s Block 192 said the government has refused to carry out the consultation process even though it is negotiating a new contract with Frontera, whose 2-year contract is due to expire this month.

“If the government says it’ll carry out prior consultation, we’ll automatically end the protest,” Wilmer Chavez, chief of the community of Los Jardines, said in a telephone interview.

Chavez said that protesters from the indigenous community had taken control of oil drums and other facilities to curb output in Block 192.

Government offices tasked with oil drilling and indigenous rights did not respond to requests for comment.

Frontera, which produced some 7,500 barrels a day from Block 192 in July, said in a statement that it values community consent and that only the government could legally carry out prior consultation. (RTRS)