World Pressenza
Peru: Indigenous groups warn of conflict if agreements for Block 192 are not honored
In a press conference, Indigenous leaders representing over one hundred native communities affected by oil spills demanded that the Peruvian state ensure compliance with agreements regarding prior con
English (original) ·Read in Deutsch ⇄
In a press conference, Indigenous leaders representing over one hundred native communities affected by oil spills demanded that the Peruvian state ensure compliance with agreements regarding “prior consultation” and respect for Indigenous rights. This follows the announcement of the reactivation of Block 192—located across the basins of the Pastaza, Corrientes, Tigre, and Marañón rivers in the rainforest of the Loreto region (in the country’s northeast).
The reactivation of Block 192 is being led by Petroperú and Chevron, through their subsidiary Petroloreto. Additionally, there are plans to continue oil extraction in Block 8 for at least another 30 years. Both blocks are the subject of social grievances due to oil spills that have impacted families in various native communities.
Leaders from the Indigenous organizations FEDIQUEP, FECONACOR, FECONACO, OPIKAFPE, and ACODECOSPAT pointed out that this reactivation is being announced even though agreements regarding “prior consultation” for both blocks remain unfulfilled, and environmental remediation for the affected territories has yet to begin.
In a formal statement, they declared: “We do not oppose oil-related activity, but we have not forgotten that it has left our rivers, forests, and bodies contaminated. If the government intends to extract oil without honoring its commitments and respecting our rights, it will be responsible for creating the conditions for a new social conflict in the Peruvian Amazon.”
Their demands include: unblocking the use of funds for environmental remediation in Blocks 192 and 8, and the approval of closure and abandonment plans for Block 8, Block 192, and the former Block 1AB. promulgation of an Emergency Decree allocating budget for seven health projects, a special project for intercultural healthcare (covering the 2027–2032 period), water projects, and follow-up on the agreements reached during the Prior Consultation process for Block 8 in 2024.
