The government of Peru on Sunday expanded and prolonged a state of emergency to address a two‑month‑old revolt against President Dina Boluarte that has claimed 48 lives in clashes between protesters and security forces. The measure now covers seven southern regions—Madre de Dios, Cusco, Puno, Apurímac, Arequipa, Moquegua and Tacna—and will remain in effect for 60 days, according to a notice in the government gazette.
Earlier, on 13 January, the government extended a state of emergency for another 30 days in Lima, El Callao, Cusco and Puno. The new extension does not include the capital, Lima, nor El Callao, which hosts the country’s main airport and maritime terminals; the emergency there will therefore expire in mid‑February. The decree authorizes the military to support police actions to restore public order and suspends constitutional rights such as freedom of movement and assembly. It also imposes an 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew for 10 days in the department of Puno, the epicenter of the anti‑government demonstrations, where 18 civilians and a policeman were killed on 9 January.
Peru has been embroiled in a political crisis with near‑daily demonstrations since 7 December, when then‑president Pedro Castillo was arrested after attempting to dissolve Congress and rule by decree. Roadblocks erected by protesters have caused shortages of food, fuel and other basic commodities in several regions of the Andean nation. Demonstrators are demanding the dissolution of Congress, a new constitution, and the resignation of Boluarte, who assumed the presidency as vice president after Castillo’s removal.
Several attempts to pass a bill in Peru’s legislature to allow early elections have failed, the latest on Friday, blocking any further debate on the issue until August. The failure was followed on Saturday by violent street protests in central Lima. The demonstrations are driven by poor southern, Indigenous Peruvians who view Castillo—himself of humble origins and Indigenous roots—as an ally in their fight against poverty, racism and inequality.
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