At the beginning of this month massive protests broke out in San Gaban, Puno. ‘Cocaleros’ were protesting at the forced eradication of their crops and tried to occupy a hydroelectric dam. They have accused the police of taking advantage of the situation and setting fire to their camps while they were protesting.

Three campesinos were killed in a stand off between the protesters and police.
The government has decided to create a forum for dialogue in the search for a solution to the demands made by campesinos/as who resist forced eradication of their coca crops in San Gaban.

Javier Reate Gui, of the ministry for the interior, said that narco-traffickers were behind the protests, and that they are only interested in finding new areas for illegal coca cultivation.

A sociologist, Jaime Antezana said “San Gaban has become a new zone for the production of coca because the narco-traffickers need more land for cultivation since 100,000 hectares were eradicated in Colombia.”