[5] Specifically, in February 2022, community members blockaded the railway and cut off the water supply, demanding $5 billion in compensation and 5% of the mine's profits.
[6] The disruption of the water supply was described by Southern Copper as "an attack on the life and health" of approximately 5,000 people in the Cuajone area.
The mine's complex begins with a water supply at Lake Suche and ends with a smelter on the South Pacific coast.
Southern Copper also stated that if the mine were to close for a year, the government would lose more than 3.1 billion sales in taxes and royalties, and 8,000 jobs would be lost.
[7] Despite a deal aimed at ending the protests, the mine remained halted, as the company accused the government of failing to guarantee the safety of its workers.