More than 100 stretches of road in Peru remained blocked by protesters this Saturday (14) while Cusco’s airport resumed operations, a day after President Dina Boluarte assured that he would not step down.
The Andean regions of the south of the country, the most marginalized in Peru, have been mired in a relentless social upheaval that has left at least 42 dead since early December, according to civilian leaders and organizations defending human rights.
“There are extremist sectors trying to create disorder and chaos, with subaltern interests (…) We are stronger than ever, with a cabinet of ministers dedicated to fighting for the country,” Boluarte said last Friday (May 13). ), when he was growing up Political pressure calls for president’s resignation.
As vice president from Pedro Castillo, Boluarte took power on December 7, shortly after his predecessor was overthrown by Congress.
This Saturday, eleven regions of the Andes and the Amazon were affected by the blockades, especially in the south, near the borders with Chile and Bolivia. According to statistics from the State Traffic Inspectorate, there have never been as many blockages as in the current crisis.
However, in Cusco, a key international tourism destination, authorities have resumed operations at Velasco Astete Airport, which was closed for two days for security reasons. With the reopening, the government is trying to revive activity in the region, where local associations claim to have lost up to 7 million Peruvian soles, R$9.4 million, due to the crisis.
“We reject violence”
Boluarte traveled to the country last Friday following the resignation and replacement of ministers of the interior, labor and women.
The President called on Congress to expedite procedures to hold early elections in April 2024 and asked for forgiveness for the deaths caused by the crisis.
“I apologize for this situation and for what was neglected to prevent these tragic events. But as much as I apologize, I ask that we reject violence.”
Several groups, particularly in the southern Andean region, are calling for Boluarte’s resignation, blaming him for the violence.
They are also demanding the closure of the rightwing controlled Congress and the immediate holding of elections.
Demands for the release of Castillo who was arrested as a precautionary measure while under investigation for supporting the rebellion and the formation of a constituent assembly are also on the agenda.
Andes without a truce
The demonstrations, which began last week after a yearend ceasefire of sorts, are centered on the southern Andean region, home to Quechua and Aymara communities that experts say are historically marginalized.
The InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights (OAS), which visited Peru this week, considered that the integration of these communities with the rest of the country is necessary to finally end the crisis.
Some groups of protesters from these regions are threatening to travel to Lima to take over the city, forcing Boluarte to resign and creating a framework that will force elections soon.
“We decided to go to Lima (since Monday), yes or yes. We can’t say when because we want to travel in unity,” said Julio Vilca, a leader of the Ilave province in the Puno region.
Threat from Radical Groups
Authorities insist that ultraradical sectors, including remnants of the Sendero Luminoso guerrilla group, are behind the protests.
The arrest of a former member of this organization, Rocío Leandro, known within the group as “Camarada Cusi”, was presented this week as evidence.
According to police spokesman General Óscar Arriola, Leandro funded vandalism that claimed dozens of lives in the Ayacucho region. The Senderista has been defined as “a Marxist, Leninist, Maoist murderer”.
“Cusi” and seven other people arrested with her intended to form a new terrorist group called the New Red Faction, police said.
Leftwing organizations such as the Peru Livre party, for which Castillo and Boluarte were elected, rejected the police version because they see it as a strategy to criminalize the protests.
Castillo was ousted after attempting a coup d’état to rule by decree.
Boluarte came to power first in line of succession. In his initial statements, however, he said he intended to rule until 2026, when Castillo’s term ends, ignoring calls for immediate new elections from much of the country.
Boluarte, a 60yearold lawyer who speaks the Quechua language and, like Castillo, comes from a humble background in the Andes, soon corrected this and announced elections for April 2024. However, the flurry of protests and deaths deepened the crisis in Peru.
Discontent grows in Peru with protests as Castillo’s successor negotiates a new government