Peru communities lift blockade disrupting key copper transport road

LIMA (Reuters) – A group of indigenous Peruvian communities that have been blocking a key copper corridor agreed to a truce on Sunday after the country’s prime minister said he would meet with them.

Peru is the world’s No. 2 copper producer. The blockade, which lasted less than a week, affected operations by Glencore’s Antapaccay, MMG Ltd’s Las Bambas and Hudbay Minerals Inc’s Constancia.

Protesters are asking the state to carry out a formal consultation process on whether Antapaccay should be allowed to build a new copper project nearby known as Coroccohuayco.

A meeting with Prime Minister Aníbal Torres has been set for Tuesday, according to minutes of a meeting held earlier on Dunday between protesters, mine representatives and the government.

(Reporting by Marcelo Rochabrun; Editing by Sam Holmes)