Mining, National Security and Governance: Strategic Threats and Risks in the Southern Peruvian Mining Corridor

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56221/spt.v4i2.82

Keywords:

National security, illegal mining, governance, organized crime, internal order, Southern Mining Corridor, strategic development

Abstract

This article analyzes the threats and risks faced by Peru due to the expansion of illegal mining in the Southern Mining Corridor, evaluating its impact on national security, internal order and democratic governance. Its objective is to identify, evaluate and propose comprehensive alternatives to this complex phenomenon, which intertwines criminal economics, ideological radicalism, regulatory gaps and territorial capture by criminal organizations. The purpose is to contribute to the design of a National Mining Security Strategy aimed at protecting the strategic interests of the State and promoting sustainable, legal and sovereign development. The methodology used combines the review of official documents, specialized studies, journalistic reports and experiences in areas of high conflict, where recurrent patterns of institutional capture and collapse of the rule of law are evident. Based on this analysis, viable proposals are presented from an articulated approach to security, legality and national development.

Author Biographies

Miguel Angel Gonzales Bojórquez

Major General of the Peruvian Army (EP), Master’s Degree in Public Management and Administration, Bachelor’s Degree in Military Sciences, with diplomas in Senior Management and Senior Management in Management. He has completed the Senior Management and National Security Program at the Centro de Altos Estudios Nacionales (CAEN), as well as the International Humanitarian Law Program, taught by the International Red Cross in the Republic of Algeria. He is a collaborator of the Center for Strategic Studies of the Peruvian Army (CEEEP). Throughout his military career, he has served and participated in operations and military actions in the Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro River Valley (VRAEM), serving in that area in all the ranks he has held. Between 2022 and 2023, he held the position of General Commander of the VRAEM Special Command. Until his retirement, he served as Inspector General of the EP.

Manolo Eduardo Villagra

Lieutenant Colonel of the Peruvian Army (EP) with a solid academic and professional background in the fields of security, defense and strategy. D. in Development and Strategic Security from the Centro de Altos Estudios Nacionales (CAEN), he also holds three Master’s Degrees: in Military Sciences with mention in Strategic Planning and Decision Making; in Management and Technological Innovation; and in Educational Sciences. He also holds a degree in Military Sciences and in Administration, and has completed diplomas in National Security and Defense, Leadership and Strategic Planning, and Military History and Strategic Thinking. In addition, he has been a member of the XVIII Joint Command and Staff Program at the Armed Forces Joint College (ESCOFFAA) and holds specializations in Global Challenges, Cybersecurity and Governance from the Steven J. Green International School of Public Policy at Florida International University (FIU), United States of America. Likewise, he was part of the Peruvian delegation of CAEN in the academic mobility held in Beijing, at the National Defense University (NDU) of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In the academic and management field, he has served as head of the Department of Sciences and Humanities and of the Cadet Evaluation Section at the Military School of Chorrillos (EMCH). In addition, he collaborates as a researcher in several academic and professional publications, among them El Investigador of the EMCH, the Academic and Scientific magazines of the Army War College (ESGE- EPG), as well as in the Army’s institutional media: Actualidad Militar, Expresión Militar; as well as Pensamiento Conjunto of the ESCOFFAA, Ciencia e Investigación en Defensa, Cuadernos de Trabajo and the magazine Seguridad y Desarrollo of the CAEN. José del Carmen Marín Arista” Research Institute of CAEN and is an analyst and senior researcher at the  Peruvian Army Center for Strategic Studies (CEEEP). During the COVID-19 pandemic, he was part of the analysis and strategic planning team activated at the ESGE-EPG, contributing with substantial proposals for the articulation of the State in the face of complex crises and multidimensional threats that compromise security and national governance. As for his teaching work, he is a lecturer and advisor on issues related to: strategy, foresight, geostrategy, threats to national security and strategic planning for development. At the operational level, he has participated in counter-terrorist operations in the Upper Huallaga Valley (2002- 2005) and in the La Convención sector of the VRAEM (2013-2014), as well as in military actions against illegal mining in La Pampa, Madre de Dios region (2019). In 2023, he served as a Ground Operations Officer in the C-3 (Operations and Military Actions) of the Joint Staff of the VRAEM Special Command. He is currently serving at the Huancané Garrison, Puno region, within the 4th Mountain Brigade of the III Army Division.

Diana Selene Rosell Claudet

Multidisciplinary professional with a solid background in education, law, strategic security and sustainable development. She is a secondary school teacher specialized in Language and Literature, as well as a graduate in Law and Political Science, which allows her to address social issues with a strategic and conflict resolution oriented approach. She has a high-level academic background, having completed doctoral studies in Development and Strategic Security, as well as a master’s degree in Public Administration and Management with a mention in National Defense, at the Center for Advanced National Studies (CAEN). In addition, he has complemented his preparation with international specializations in cybersecurity, public policy and public management at the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs of the Florida International University (FIU), in the United States of America. She is also trained in negotiation and mediation for dispute resolution at the School of Negotiators of the International Center for Administration and Commerce (CIAC). As an entrepreneur in the real estate sector and consultant in sustainable development project management, she focuses on promoting productive chains, taking advantage of local opportunities and strengthening communities; her experience includes the strategic management of community relations in the mining sector, ensuring the obtaining and renewal of the social license to operate, under national and international legal standards. Her capacity for intervention in social conflicts allows her to design and execute political, social and communicative strategies, guaranteeing the prevention and effective management of disputes through collective negotiation and inter-institutional agreements between the public sector, private companies and communities. At the same time, she is a proofreader in the production of texts, essays and scientific articles, with publications in the Scientific Journal of Security and Development of CAEN.

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Published

2025-08-02

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 2 (2025): May to August

Section

Artículos

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