Utoo Radio with Other News Sources - February 19, 2025 - An indigenous community leader in Peru has called for a state of emergency to allow the eviction of illegal miners in the Amazon.

Teófilo Kukush, president of the Wampís community, accused illegal miners of using children aged 5-10 as "human shields" during armed raids.

The community claims that miners are incentivizing local residents with payments and placing children in front of the dredges used to extract gold from the river.

The Peruvian government has reported $1.096 billion in operations linked to illegal mining between January and October last year.

Peru produced 108 million grams of fine gold in 2024, 6.9% more than the previous year, with almost half supplied by small-scale miners.

The government has 85,000 registered artisanal miners, mostly from poor and remote areas, but only 20% have formal permits.