A month after clashes already deadly with the army, the south of the country was again the scene of clashes, against the backdrop of protests concerning the dismissal of former president Pedro Castillo.
MO12345lemonde with AFP
Clashes in Peru between the police and demonstrators claiming the departure of the president, Dina Boluarte, left at least 12 dead on Monday, January 9, in Juliaca, during an attempted invasion of the City airport in the south-east of the country, announced the defender of the people (local mediator).
“We confirmed 12 deaths today in Puno during clashes with the police in the vicinity of Juliaca airport”, in the Aymara region (Amerindian people) of Puno, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) A source from the mediator’s office on condition of anonymity.
Shortly before, the coordinator of the city mediator’s office, Nivardo Enriquez Barriales, had reported “nine dead on the morgue following the clashes in Juliaca”.
The protesters claim the resignation of Dina Boluarte, who came to the head of the country after the dismissal, in early December 2022, of the socialist Pedro Castillo, a new parliament and the immediate holding of elections , already advanced from 2026 to April 2024.
asks for new elections
The Puno region, which borders Bolivia, is the epicenter of protests. The population has set up an unlimited strike since January 4.
The demonstrations began after the dismissal by the Parliament, then the arrest, on December 7, 2022, of Mr. Castillo, following his attempt to dissolve the Parliament, described as “coup d’etat”. The demonstrators have been demanding since the holding of new elections. At least 20 people had been killed in mid-December during clashes with the police.