Peru declares state of emergency to restore copper production at Cuajone mine

FILE PHOTO: General view of a mine operated by MMG Las Bambas, in a region where locals claim mining activity has negatively affected crop yields and killed livestock, outside of Cusco, Peru October 14, 2021. REUTERS/Angela Ponce

LIMA (Reuters) -Peru will declare a state of emergency near Southern Copper Corp's Cuajone mine, the country's prime minister said on Wednesday, as protests hit top mines in the Andean nation, halting 20% of national copper output.

Peru is the world's No. 2 producer of the red metal. Impoverished communities in Peru's copper-rich Andes have been staging growing protests against mining companies including Cuajone, MMG Ltd's Las Bambas and Glencore's Antapaccay.