Demonstrations in Peru demanding the resignation of President Dina Boluarte leave 67 people hospitalized in four days of roadblocks and mobilizations in different regions of the country, the Ministry of Health reported on Sunday.
Text: RFI / AFP
“During public demonstrations at the national level, 67 hospitalizations are reported. All patients receive permanent medical care,” the Ministry said on its Twitter account.
The report from the portfolio between January 4 and 8 indicated that most of the hospitalized people (62 hospitalized) are in the Andean city of Puno (southeast), where on Friday and Saturday there were strong clashes between protesters and members of law enforcement.
The protests against the new government resumed on Wednesday after a break for the end of the year holidays.
Protesters maintained roadblocks on Sunday in six of Peru’s 24 departments, including tourist regions such as Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca; Cusco, Arequipa, Madre de Dios, as well as Apurímac and Ucayali.
On Saturday there were strong clashes between demonstrators and the police in the city of Juliaca, in the Pun region -border with Bolivia-, where there was an attempt to take over the airport.
*Read also: Protests return to Peru: more timid, with interrupted traffic and various demands
The Ombudsman’s Office reported 16 injured in the clashes in this region, including four policemen.
The protests broke out on December 7, after Boluarte, then vice president, took over the government to replace the leftist Pedro Castillo, dismissed by Congress after his failed self-coup when trying to dissolve the Legislative and his arrest on charges of rebellion.
Although she considers herself to be on the left, Boluarte is seen as a “traitor” by the communities and militants who support Castillo. The right-wing sectors that previously promoted her fall now support her.
These mobilizations accumulate 22 deaths in almost a month. According to the Minister of Economy, Alex Contreras, this crisis with the roadblocks has generated losses to the country of between 60 and 100 million soles per day (15 to 25 million dollars).
With the aim of concluding a dialogue “to achieve social peace,” Boluarte convened the “National Agreement” next week, a forum that brings together the powers of the State, civil society, religious groups, business unions, and workers.
In an attempt to lower the tension in the streets, Congress approved advancing the 2026 elections to April 2024. But it has not been enough.
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