At least 36 protesters were injured, one seriously, in a series of protests that began on March 11 and turned violent after Atico Minng called in hundreds of police and paramilitary personnel to quell the protests.

The protesters, largely campesino farmers, were opposed to a reported attempt to revive a consultation process by Atico that would put the stalled mining project back on the table. Clashes broke out again on March 18, after which 70 protesters were charged and accused of being “terrorists”.