A third province in Peru's Cajamarca region has been put under a state of emergency with demonstrators opposing President Ollanta Humala's decision to go ahead with the Conga project, a giant gold and copper investment project.
The largest investment in the country in its history, it will also see large portions of the country's natural reserves placed in the hands of mining companies.
But now, entering its ninth month since the protests turned violent, infighting among opposition leaders has now also intensified, spurring the government to call on the assistance of two priests as mediators.
Al Jazeera's Mariana Sanchez reports from Lima, Peru.