A protester died on Saturday following clashes between demonstrators and police in Ilave, southern Peru, during a demonstration against President Dina Boluarte, bringing the death toll to 46 since December 7. The country has also decided to close Machu Picchu.
A protester died on Saturday following clashes with security forces during a protest against President Dina Boluarte in Ilave, southern Peru, the local Ombudsman said.
“A person died in Ilave following the demonstrations on Friday. It is a resident who was injured and was being taken to the hospital in Puno, but he arrived there without life”, said the AFP the Defender of the People of Ilave, Jacinto Ticona.
“We urge the police not to use disproportionate force,” he added.
The police response to Friday’s protests in Ilave sparked anger among residents who set fire to the police station at dawn on Saturday, television footage showed. Clashes between Aymara residents and the police in this town have also left 10 injured, according to hospital sources.
Another police station in this region of Puno, in Zepita, was also set on fire on Friday, without causing any casualties.
Peru has also decided to close Machu Picchu, an Inca tourist jewel and the country’s main attraction, due to the unrest.
“The closure of the Inca Trails Network (land accesses, Inca Trail) and the Llaqta (Citadel) of Machu Picchu has been ordered due to the social situation and to preserve the integrity of visitors”, indicated the Ministry of Culture in a press release.
46 dead since December 7
Demonstrations demanding the resignation of Dina Boluarte and the suspension of Congress have claimed 46 lives (45 civilians and a policeman) since December 7, following the dismissal and arrest of President Pedro Castillo.
This left-wing leader had been accused of having attempted a coup d’etat by wanting to dissolve the Congress, controlled by the right, which was about to dismiss him for alleged corruption. He was replaced by Dina Boluarte, his vice-president and member of the same party as him.
The government on Sunday extended a state of emergency for 30 days in Lima, Cusco, Callao and Puno to limit protests, authorizing the military to intervene alongside the police to restore public order.
On Thursday, the northern regions of Amazonas and La Libertad and that of Tacna, in the south, were included in the state of emergency, so that about a third of the country is under this regime, until the mid February.
The crisis also reflects the enormous social gap between the capital and the poor provinces which support Pedro Castillo, of indigenous origin, and who saw in his election a form of revenge against the contempt they lend to Lima.
