BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The Andean Court of Justice, which interprets and enforces the laws of the Andean Community trade bloc, has admitted an unprecedented case against Peru over alleged failures to combat illegal mining, marking the first time the court will examine whether a member state has met its regional obligations in fighting illegal mining.The lawsuit challenges the government’s repeated extensions of REINFO, Peru’s mining formalization program created to help informal small-scale miners become legal. Critics say the repeated extensions have instead allowed illegal mining operations to continue under temporary legal protection.Illegal gold mining has become one of the Amazon’s greatest environmental threats, driving deforestation, mercury pollution of rivers and violence against Indigenous communities across the region. In Peru, the activity has expanded beyond the southern Madre de Dios region into other parts of the Amazon, including the Nanay River basin near the city of Iquitos.
The South American court admitted the case in an order dated July 15 and notified the parties on July 20, giving Peru 40 calendar days to respond. It has yet to rule on the plaintiffs’ request for precautionary measures, including temporarily suspending REINFO while the case proceeds.The lawsuit was filed by an Indigenous and rural communities organization from Peru’s Nanay River basin, along with seven local residents of Peru’s Amazon, who argue the government has failed to strengthen measures against illegal mining, money laundering and related crimes despite obligations under Andean Community law. The Andean Community comprises Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
