Eduardo Hochschild
Huancute community faces eviction after Hochschild seals a legal loophole against them

[October 3. Ayacucho, Peru]

140 families in the Annex of Huancute, San Francisco Ravacayco in the province of Parinacochas, Ayacucho, are fearing being left without their land, due a legal process Suyamarca Project made which gave the indigenous community a period of three months for them to leave the land where they live.
The company plans to start the mining exploitation of the work this year and will scavage more than 8, 800 hectares of land.

According to local sources such as Oxfam Peru and Casma Palla Palla, the villagers have signed a contract in which cede their land in favor of mining Suyamarca in January. For this reason the term within eviction began to be considered from the first week of March.

Ms Cristina Cayo Pacheco, representative of the Annex to Huancute, validates the claim against the mining company's shady action. According to her, in the last three months the mining company had illegally entered purchase agreements with only 32 inhabitants, whom the Municipality of San Francisco de Rivacayco recognized as the sole possessors of thousands of hectares, and set aside the rest of the 108 settlers, most of whom were unaware of this sale process.

"It was assumed that the contract they signed and notary was established in Coracora town, but did not happen because the mining staff went to seek invidually each landholders to sign without a fair legal representative on what they were going to sign. Also in the contract states that the possessor after selling the property, pledges to leave within three months, " She says.

In this regard, Ruben Pacheco, alderman of the City of San Francisco de Rivacayco, said that in the district capital is promoted a meeting with all the representatives of its annexes on April 24, in which the issue of Huancute was to be addressed. However, the case remains open and unclear.

"Part of the community had negotiated their land to mining, " says edilician authority member.

On this issue, the governor of the Ayacucho region, Wilmer Rivera, reported to be involved in this conflict and not allow any abuse of the mining or perhaps the false naivete on the side of the villagers in the area.

Two weeks ago, Peruvian newspaper RPP Noticias tried to communicate with the central Hochschild Mining, which is part of the Suyamarca mining, but so far the company does not provide its version of the conflict with the community. Eduardo Hochschild has not made any public statements how the mining corporation is handling Huancute, Huallhua and Casma Palla Palla's contractual agreements.

Company: Eduardo Hochschild
Country: Peru
State: Massachusetts
City: San Francisco de Rivacayco
Address: provincia de Parinacochas

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