Violence in Peru

The Utcubamba Valley

The AP is reporting that up to 36 people have been killed in violent clashes in the northern province of Utcubamba. Reports from the Lima based La Republica say that the government has confirmed the deaths of 11 police officers and 3 protesters. The AP also states that no independent reporters were present along the highway near the provincial capital, Bagua, when the violence broke out.

At the center of this civil strife is a strong disagreement between the federal government and local residents regarding natural resource extraction in the Peruvian Amazon. I think it can be clearly shown that President Garcia, who has become one of the most ardent supporters of the so-called Washington Consensus during his second round as president, has poorly managed the roll-out of these large oil, timber, and hydroelectric projects. The process of fostering stakeholders and mitigating negative attitudes towards such dubious projects has been disastrously executed. The vacuum that has been created by this strong mistrust between indigenous communities and the government has led to the resurgence of the Sendero Luminoso in several parts of Peru.

In return, his presidency which is full of many other dubious accomplishments, will always be remembered for the violence that occurred on June 5, 2009 in the Peruvian jungle.