Peru's informal miners protest against the end of temporary permits at Congress

19/11/2025 7:24

More than a thousand informal miners in mining powerhouse Peru gathered outside Congress on Tuesday in renewed protests against government efforts to

regularize their status.



Peru's government is aiming to end a temporary permit program for small-scale miners known as REINFO, stoking often violent protests by miners who want to maintain their temporary status because they say full regularization is too complex and costly.



Many miners, who mostly extract gold, want as many as five years to move off the temporary scheme, which is due to expire at the end of the year. Peru's government had already delayed the deadline several times.



Union leader Maximo Franco Bequer told Reuters on Tuesday that some are willing to seek "a middle ground" with Congress.



A congressional mining committee on Tuesday was preparing to discuss whether to extend the temporary permit program to 2027.