by Protesters in Peru have erected new blocks and expanded their demonstrations in several regions, as calls across the country grow for new elections and the release of detained former president Pedro Castillo.
Hundreds used burning tires, wood and stones on Monday to block an airport runway in the country’s second-largest city Arequipa in anger over Castillo’s impeachment and arrest as new checkpoints were set up in other major cities.
The death toll from the protests has risen to at least four, authorities said, after Sunday clashes between protesters and police in the southern city of Andahuaylas left two dead and at least five injured – including a police officer – while i protesters attempted to storm that city’s airport.
Another protester died Monday during demonstrations in Arequipa, Defense Minister Alberto Otarola told lawmakers, while one person was killed in the state that includes Andahuaylas, according to lawmakers.
The protests have spread, particularly in cities in Peru’s north and Andes, despite a pledge to call early elections by President Dina Boluarte, who was swiftly sworn in to replace Castillo following his removal last week.
“I have decided to introduce a bill to reach an agreement with Congress to bring forward the general election to April 2024,” Boluarte said in an address to the nation on Monday, adding that he would introduce the legislation in “the next few days.”
But the pledge appears to have done little to allay public anger over the removal of Castillo, a former teacher and union leader, who was voted out by lawmakers Wednesday after he sought to dissolve Congress ahead of an impeachment vote.
The former president was arrested shortly after, on charges of rebellion and conspiracy by prosecutors.
Protests quickly erupted across the country, with many supporters of the detained former leader demanding that Peru hold elections rather than allow Boluarte to stay in power until Castillo’s term ends in 2026. Some protesters also called for the closure of Congress.
In a handwritten letter posted to Twitter on Monday, Castillo called for a constituent assembly. He promised that he “will not resign” and called Boluarte a “usurper”. He also said that “the people should not fall for his dirty games of new elections”.
He said he was “humiliated, incommunicado, abused and kidnapped”.
Al Jazeera’s Mariana Sanchez, reporting from the capital, Lima, on Monday afternoon before Castillo’s letter went public, said the situation remained tense as several key roads were blocked, including the Pan-American highway, which is critical to bring food to town.
He said many flights were canceled due to the unrest, along with inter-provincial buses that connect Lima and other parts of the country. “So at least one million passengers were affected,” Sanchez said.
On Sunday, December 11, protests were reported in cities across Peru’s interior, including Cajamarca, Arequipa, Huancayo, Cusco and Puno.
Clashes erupted in Andahuaylas, in the Apurimac region, as protesters attempted to storm the southern city’s airport, authorities said. Protesters fired slingshots and threw stones as police responded with tear gas, local TV showed footage of the scene.
Eliana Revollar, head of Peru’s ombudsman office, told a radio station that a 15-year-old and an 18-year-old died during the clashes “probably from gunshot wounds”.
Hundreds of people also held protests at the legislative building in Lima, where riot police used tear gas to disperse the crowds.
Inside the palace, Congress had met in an emergency session to discuss the crisis, but had to be suspended after physical altercations erupted. In images posted on social media, one man could be seen punching another man from behind and members shoving each other in the center of the chamber.
Prime Minister Pedro Angulo said Boluarte’s new cabinet also met on Sunday evening to assess the civil unrest and determine how to respond.
In his speech on Monday, Boluarte also declared a state of emergency in areas of “high conflict,” a move that would allow the military to take more control if needed.
“I gave the instructions so that control of internal order can be resumed peacefully, without affecting the fundamental rights of the people”, said the new president, lamenting the deaths that occurred in Apurimac.
Amnesty International has urged the Peruvian authorities to “put an end to the excessive use of force against demonstrations and guarantee the right to peaceful protest”.
“Furthermore, to prevent a further escalation of the violence, we urge the authorities to seek dialogue and place human rights at the heart of their response to the crisis,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, director of the group for the Americas, in a statement.
Meanwhile, rural unions and organizations representing indigenous peoples have called for an “indefinite strike” starting Tuesday in support of Castillo, himself the son of a farming family.
The declaration of the Agrarian and Rural Front of Peru called for the immediate release of Castillo, as well as the suspension of Congress, early elections and a new constitution.
The calls for new elections come as recent polls show nearly nine in 10 Peruvians disapprove of the nation’s legislature amid years of political scandal and instability. The country is now in its sixth president since 2016.
The power struggle in the country has continued as the Andes region and its thousands of small farms struggle to survive the worst drought in half a century.
The country of more than 33 million people is also experiencing a fifth wave of COVID-19 infections, having recorded some 4.3 million cases and 217,000 deaths since the pandemic began.
