After 450 days of negotiations and asset sales to satisfy regulators, Glencore successfully takes over Xstrata to form Glencore Xstrata. With 190,000 employees in over 50 countries, the mining giant is now one of the largest in the world.1
In order to satisfy Chinese regulators, Glencore Xstrata agrees to sell the Las Bambas mine in Peru, one of Xstrata’s flagship copper mines.2 Although incredibly lucrative – at the time of sale Las Bambas accounts for 1.5% of Peru’s GDP – the mine has been the focus of substantial unrest. In 2015, widespread protests against plans to expand it meet a violent reaction from the Peruvian military, with four protestors killed and a state of emergency imposed across the region.3
1 Javier Blas, “Glencore finishes takeover of Xstrata,” Financial Times, May 2, 2013, https://www.ft.com/content/9d355d82-b31a-11e2-95b3-00144feabdc0
2 .Shivani Singh, “MMG agrees $5.85bn deal to buy Las Bambas from Glencore Xstrata,” MetalBulletin, April 14, 2014,
3 Mines and Communities, “Peru Declares State of Emergency After Clashes at Las Bambas,” September 3, 2014