Bagua is a province of the Amazonas Region in Peru. It is located in the north and central part of the department of Amazonas. Its territory is rugged in all its extension. It is also cut by deep gorges that have been formed by the important rivers that cross this province, as well as their numerous tributaries.
Bagua's heights are very varied. They can mainly go up to 400 m. in the banks of Marañón and Santiago rivers up to 2500 m. in the mountain zone of the south.
The province is crossed from south-west to north-east by the Marañón river, one of the principal rivers in the Peruvian Amazon. From south to north-east, it is crossed by the Chiriaco or Imaza river. From southeast to north, it is crossed by the Nieva river and from east to northwest by the Utcubamba river.
The city of Bagua is located on a natural platform raised from the right shore of the Utcubamba river. All the houses of the western part of the city have a view of the river waters.
There are a big quantity of animals that are typical of the zone: huanganas, pumas, anteaters, tigrillos, cashpaicuros, armadillos. There are also numerous snakes such as the macanche, colambo, uyurechonte, cascabel, shushupe, etc. The natives hunted them for food. Thanks to the valuable number of species, a tourist current dedicated to the sport of hunting can be achieved, of course with rules adapted to assure the survival of these species. For collectors, the quantity and variety of butterflies can be of big attraction in the wooded zone of the district principally.
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Bagua is divided into six districts, which are:
| DISTRICT | MAYOR |
|---|---|
| Aramango | César Córdova Gonzáles |
| Bagua | Luis Sacarias Nuñez Teran |
| Copallín | Enilo Cruz Cruz |
| El Parco | Absalón Cardozo Díaz |
| Imaza | Sergio Suwikái Tatse |
| La Peca | Alfonso Mendoza Lingán |
In August 2008 and June 2009, Bagua experienced social unrest and the occupation of road infrastructure by indigenous communities protesting against new laws that would allow oil and mining companies to enter indigenous territories without seeking consent or consultation of the local communities. Indigenous communities complain that some 70% of Peruvian Amazon territory would now be leased for oil and gas exploration, putting at risk their own lives and the environment. In other areas affected by oil drilling and the dumping of toxic waste, local communities in Peru have already experienced severe environmental and health damage (see BBC News 24 March 2008, Peru tribe battles oil giant over pollution). Further to the 2008 protest, some of the controversial decrees were repealed by the Congress. In 2009, however, new decrees were passed by the President, Alan García, claiming that they were necessary to implement a Free Trade Agreement with the United States of America. The 5 of June, the Government declared a state of emergency and ordered the police to break out the 59 day roadblock. The police intervined on the 6 of June resulted in a serious clash of the police with the civilian population of Bagua and the Indigenous population of its surroundings. According to the government 5 civilians were killed, 5 natives, 23 policemen and 89 people were wounded .[1][2]. The indigenous population in Bagua and some newsreports dispute the government version, stating that the death tool was in the hundreds and the bodies of the indigenous population were thrown to the river in an attempt to hide them. Black Vultures were seen around a corpse in the river. Local news correspondents confirmed that the government's version 'did not adjust to the truth'.[3][4]
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