In Peru, the leader of an indigenous community urged the government on Monday to declare a state of emergency, alleging that illegal miners are using children as "human shields" in the Amazon region.
Teófilo Kukush, president of the Wampís community bordering Ecuador, spoke out about the issue, stating that illegal miners are resorting to using children aged between 5 and 10 as human shields during confrontations. Kukush plans to formally request the Peruvian government to declare a state of emergency to facilitate the removal of illegal miners.
According to Kukush, miners are coercing some locals with payments and positioning children in front of the dredges used to extract gold from the rivers whenever authorities attempt armed interventions.
Government officials were not immediately available for comment on the matter. Incidents in established mines have resulted in the deaths of at least thirty individuals over the past two years.
In related events, last July an indigenous land rights activist was killed, and indigenous leaders reported numerous community leaders being murdered in conflicts with miners, loggers, and drug traffickers.
The Superintendency of Banking, Insurance, and Private Pensions reported $1.096 billion in operations associated with illegal mining between January and October of the previous year. Official data reveals that Peru produced 108 million grams of fine gold in 2024, a 6.9% increase over the prior year, with nearly half originating from small-scale miners.
Of the 85,000 registered artisanal miners in Peru, mainly from impoverished and remote areas, only 20% hold formal permits according to government statistics. The rest either operate with suspended permits on grounds owned by formal companies or engage in illegal mining activities.