A protest over Conga, a new gold mine in the northern department of Cajamarca, has reverberated throughout Peru, leading to a state of emergency and contributing to a Cabinet shake-up less than six months after President Ollanta Humala took office. Among the portfolios to change hands were the ministries of Environment and of Energy and Mines. The upheaval is the first major test for the new government, which was elected with broad support from voters in the rural highlands. But while candidate Humala campaigned in Cajamarca on a platform that stressed water over gold, he appears to be setting a more mine friendly course now that he is in office. Mining represents 60% of Peru’s export earnings, and government officials portray it as the... [Log in to read more]