A demonstrator assists an injured man during clashes with security forces demanding early elections and the release of jailed former President Pedro Castillo, near Juliaca airport, in Juliaca, Peru, January 9, 2023. Photo Credit: Reuters
At least 13 people were killed in southeast Peru on January 9 as protests demanding immediate elections resurfaced in neglected rural areas of the country, still loyal to ousted President Pedro Castillo .
Peru’s top human rights agency called for an investigation into the deaths, 12 of which occurred amid clashes between security forces and protesters attempting to take control of an airport in the city of Juliaca, near the border with Bolivia.
It was the highest death toll since unrest began in early December after Mr Castillo’s widely condemned attempt to oust and dissolve Congress led to his own impeachment. According to news reports, a 17-year-old was among the 12 killed in Juliaca. A 13th person died in the nearby town of Chuquito, where protesters blocked a highway.
Mr Castillo’s successor, his former running mate Dina Boluarte, has backed a plan to push elections for president and Congress, originally scheduled for 2026, until 2024. He also expressed support for a judicial inquiry into whether security forces acted with excessive force.
But such moves have so far failed to quell the unrest, which after a brief respite around the Christmas and New Year holidays has resurfaced in some of Peru’s poorest regions, where Mr. Castillo’s unorthodox rule Support was strongest for
Nationwide, protests were reported in about 13% of Peru’s provinces on Monday, many of them consisting of roadblocks making it impossible for truckers to deliver produce to market.
With Monday’s casualties, the death toll in clashes with security forces has risen to 34. Hundreds of others have been injured, who have been treated.
Ms. Boluaart’s government has accused former Bolivian President Evo Morales of fomenting the unrest. Authorities on Monday issued an order barring the influential leftist leader from entering the country on grounds of national security. Officials said eight associates of Morales – who were also banned – recently traveled to Peru to coordinate protest activity in the border region separating the two countries.
Mr. Castillo, a political novice who lived in a two-story adobe home in the Andean highlands before moving to the presidential palace, won a narrow victory in elections last year that shook Peru’s political establishment and fueled deep anger among residents. exposed the division. the vibrant capital, Lima, and the long-neglected countryside.