Lima, August 6 (teleSUR-RHC)-- Thousands of protesters marched peacefully through southern Peru’s main streets on Tuesday, as they held vigils in plazas and banged pans in front of their homes, expressing their discontent with the Tía María mining project of the Southern Copper Corporation.    

Carrying green flags with slogans such as “Yes to Agriculture, No to Mining,” residents of Peru’s Arequipa region have been protesting since Monday.    

The protests come after the administration of President Ollanta Humala ended a state of emergency period, which was enforced by thousands of police and army officers for 60 days.      

The Tía María project has been postponed since 2007, as farm workers and residents of the area hold continual protests against the mining project although various national governments have fully and openly supported the mine.

The districts of Cocachacra, Deán Valvidia, and Punta de Bombón would be the most affected by the copper mining project have witnessed the popular demonstrations.      

A march took place on Tuesday night for two hours through the streets of Cocachacra starting from Plaza San Francisco. Demonstrators carried candles to show their opposition to the project demanding a complete end to the project.   

The governor of Arequipa, Yamila Osorio Delgado, told La Republica newspaper that the government should initiate dialogue as soon as possible to find a solution to the conflict.

Delgado says a study on the impact of the mine should be analyzed by the government to resolve the conflict, adding that the government has, so far, not called for any meetings with the protesters, since the end of the state of emergency.