Clashes in Peru between security forces and protesters demanding the resignation of President Dina Boluarte on Monday left at least 12 dead in Juliaca in an attempt to enter the city’s airport in the south-west of the country, the defender told the People (local Ombudsman).
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“We have today confirmed 12 deaths in Puno in clashes with law enforcement agencies near Juliaca Airport,” AFP in the Aymara (Indian) region of Puno told AFP, a source with the Ombudsman’s Office, on condition of anonymity.
Shortly before, the coordinator of the Office of the Municipal Ombudsman, Nivardo Enriquez Barriales, had reported to the AFP news agency “nine dead in the morgue after the clashes in Juliaca”.
The protesters are demanding the resignation of Dina Boluarte – who came to power after the sacking of socialist Pedro Castillo in early December – a new parliament and the immediate holding of elections, which have already been brought forward from 2026 to April 2024.
The Puno region, which borders Bolivia, is the epicenter of protests in the country, with an indefinite strike going on since January 4.
The protests began after Mr Castillo was impeached by Parliament and arrested on December 7 after attempting to dissolve Parliament in what was described as a “coup d’etat”.