Protesters demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte, who took office last month after ousting Pedro Castillo.
Dozens of anti-government protesters clashed with police in southern Peru amid fresh unrest following the protests. removal and detention by former President Pedro Castillo.
Reuters news agency reported that protesters tried to occupy the airport and police used tear gas to disperse them. Protesters set fire to police tanks outside Inca Manco Capac airport in Juliaca, Peru’s Puno region late Friday, according to local media reports and images circulating on social media.
protest against new President Dina Boluarte resumed this week after a two-week pause. In December, there were violent clashes, which left 22 people dead, after Castillo Impeached, Arrested, and Incarcerated.
News agencies in Puno reported 15 people were injured during Friday’s protests. Three officers were injured in the clashes and flown to the capital, Lima, for treatment, police said on Saturday. The Health Department said more than 40 people have been injured since protests began again on Wednesday.
Peru’s Andean Airport, which operates Juliaca Airport, said airport services had been suspended “due to acts of violence and lack of security”.
Protesters were forced to temporarily close three airports in Peru in December.
Protesters are demanding the removal of Boluarte, who took over on December 7 after the country’s opposition-held Congress overwhelmingly voted to remove Castillo. Protesters are also calling for the closure of Congress, a constitutional change and the release of Castillo.
Castillo is served 18 months in prison before trial while being investigated for “sedition” after attempting to illegally shut down Parliament, which he denied.
As many as 49 lockdown points were reported on Friday in different parts of the country, up from the previous day, the Ombudsman’s Office said in a statement.
Mariana Sanchez of Al Jazeera, reporting from Apurímac, Peru, said hundreds of farmers joined the protest there on Friday.
Protesters told Al Jazeera they were demanding that the government implement the campaign policies of former President Castillo.
“We want President Dina Boluarte to resign. She doesn’t represent us,” protester Lidia Pillaca said.
In the Ica region, on the central coast of Peru, protesters blocked an important highway, leaving dozens of vehicles carrying passengers and goods stranded.
“We supported the strike last year, we were out of work for about 10 days and the truth is that with the pandemic and all that has happened, we want to keep working,” said Jose Palomino, an investor. Drivers affected by the blockade said.
The attorney general’s office said on Friday that it was evaluating claims against Boluarte and her three ministers and, if warranted, would open an investigation into the deaths that occurred during the protests. love in December.
Human rights groups have accused security forces of using deadly weapons and throwing smoke bombs at protesters, who the military says used homemade weapons and explosives.
