Curfew Imposed in Pataz Province After Kidnapping and Murder of Mine Workers

The incident underscoresPataz province’s escalating violence, prompting urgent government intervention to restore safety.

The Peruvian government has recently declared a night-time curfew in Pataz province in response to the tragic killings of 13 mine workers, who were kidnapped and subsequently murdered by alleged criminal gangs. This decisive action was announced by President Dina Boluarte, who also ordered a month-long suspension of mining activities in the region. Increased police and military presence is set to be deployed to confront rising criminal activity.

The victims, all employees of the subcontractor R&R at the La Poderosa gold mine, had been taken hostage by "illegal miners colluding with criminals" during a confrontational attempt to regain control of the mine on April 26. Their bodies were discovered on Sunday, stirring outrage within the country, compounded by released videos showing them bound and naked in a mine shaft, aimed at extorting their families for ransom.

The crisis spotlighted the pervasive violence in Pataz, which is situated over 800 kilometers (500 miles) north of the capital, Lima. La Poderosa reported that 39 individuals affiliated with their operations have lost their lives to gang violence in the area. In a public statement dated May 2, the company expressed concern that even a previously declared state of emergency in Pataz since February 2024 has failed to curb rampant violence.

Local prosecutor Luis Guillermo Bringas has described the region as embroiled in a "war for mining pits," as illegal miners clash with legitimate mining operations amidst a backdrop of deteriorating security conditions. The brutal circumstances of the workers' deaths and the lack of effective security measures have amplified calls for governmental intervention in Peru's troubled mining hotspots.