Demonstrations against President Dina Boluarte and for new elections continued on Sunday in Peru where those killed in the protests were honored and the government declared a state of emergency in more regions.
The Boluarte government extended the state of emergency for 30 days in Lima, Cusco, Callao and Puno to stop the protests, authorizing the military to intervene together with the police to protect public order.
The Government also extended the curfew in Puno, the epicenter of the protests. The measure will be in force for the next ten days, from 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.
The decision occurs when mobilizations were called from the south of Peru to Lima starting today Monday; an action that the authorities describe as a “riot” against Boluarte.
Yesterday, Sunday, 99 sections of highways were blocked by protesters in 10 of the 25 Peruvian regions that are calling for the resignation of Boluarte, who assumed the presidency on December 7 after Congress dismissed Pedro Castillo after his failed coup.
The protests, which have left at least 42 dead in five weeks, according to the Ombudsman’s Office, resumed on January 4 after a truce for the New Year holidays.
Among the regions with blocked roads were Puno, Arequipa and Cusco (south), reported the Superintendence of Land Transport, adding that there had never been so many cuts in the current crisis.
In Arequipa, dozens of residents blocked the Panamericana Sur highway that reaches the Tacna region, on the border with Chile.
On Saturday night, dozens of protesters arrived in the Miraflores district, in Lima, after leaving from the central Plaza San MartÃn.
In Cusco, the train service to the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu resumed on Sunday after two days of paralysis due to protests.