LatinNews Daily - 21 February 2018

Peru: Peru’s Prime Minister Mercedes Aráoz has announced an investment of more than PEN600m (US$185m) for indigenous communities in the north-eastern Amazonian region of Loreto. This is in response to blockades staged earlier this month by indigenous organisations such as Federación de Pueblos Cucamas Urarinas del Marañón (FEDEPCUM) and Federación de Pueblos Indígenas Achuar Urarinas del Río Corrientes (FEPIAURC). These groups have been protesting the damage caused by oil spills from the Norperuano oil pipeline (ONP), in the Uraninas district of Loreto, and they have called on the government led by President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski to honour commitments made in the Saramurillo Act, signed in December 2016, which had sought to address indigenous concerns. Signed in Nauta municipality, the agreement announced yesterday (20 February) by Aráoz stipulates that the public works will benefit more than 53,000 inhabitants in the districts of Andoas, Parinari, Tigre, Trompeteros, and Urarinas, with the money to go on water, education, rural electrification, health, social programmes, tourism, and the environment. She also announced that a follow-up meeting will take place in April to look at the process of implementing these commitments.

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