Context and Main Measures
The Peruvian government has extended for 60 days the state of emergency in Pataz province (La Libertad), effective October 6, 2025, through Supreme Decree No. 122-2025-PCM published in El Peruano. The decision responds to ongoing violence and criminal activity linked to illegal gold mining networks that have eroded state authority and endangered local communities. During this period, the Armed Forces will maintain control of internal order under a Unified Command with the National Police. The decree also establishes a nighttime curfew from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., limiting public movement except for essential personnel in health, sanitation, energy, communications, and security services. Pharmacies may operate as usual, and citizens requiring emergency medical care are permitted to travel during restricted hours.
Operational Strategy and Inter-Institutional Coordination
The Ministry of Defense will coordinate joint efforts with the Judiciary, Public Ministry, Interior and Energy & Mines Ministries, the Ombudsman’s Office, SUNAT, and Migration authorities to sustain law enforcement operations and expedite judicial processes. The Unified Command must submit a detailed report within five working days after the emergency ends, outlining actions taken and results achieved. The renewed deployment of military and police units seeks to contain the expansion of organized crime, dismantle illegal mining infrastructure, and recover control over key transport and supply routes in the mountainous districts of Pataz.
Implications for Governance and Regional Stability
The extension highlights Peru’s ongoing struggle to confront illegal mining and organized violence in resource-rich but institutionally fragile zones. Pataz has become a symbol of the tensions between livelihoods, legality, and environmental degradation in the country’s mining frontier. Analysts warn that emergency decrees alone cannot deliver long-term stability without parallel development and formalization programs that offer viable alternatives to local populations. The measure thus underscores both the immediacy of restoring public order and the structural challenge of building a lawful and sustainable mining economy in Peru’s northern highlands.