Peru: 12 people died in clashes between security forces and protesters demanding Dina Boluarte’s resignation

Clashes between the police and protesters against the president’s government Dina Bolarte They’ve gone away twelve dead this Monday in Juliaca, in the south of Peruthe Ombudsman said.

“We have confirmed 12 dead today in Puno, during clashes with the police near the Juliaca airport,” he told the newspaper AFP extension a source from the Lima ombudsman’s office.

The victims had in the body bullet impacts, explained a health official of the Carlos Monge hospital, in statements to the channel no of television.

“What is happening is a massacre among Peruvians, I ask you to calm down, do not expose yourself” exclaimed the mayor of Juliaca, Oscar Cáceres, in a desperate appeal to the population interviewed on the radio The Dean from that city.

Violent protests took place during an attempt to occupy Juliaca airport, which is under police and military guard. A similar attempt had taken place on Saturday.

As the country sinks into a serious institutional and political crisis punctuated by demonstrations and roadblocks, on Monday Dina Boluarte’s government barred former Bolivian president Evo Morales from entering Peru until further notice for “intervention” in internal political affairs . Village.

“Registration of impediment to entry into the countrythrough all immigration checkpoints, of nine Bolivian nationals, including Mr. Juan Evo Morales Ayma“, indicated the Interior Ministry in reference to the former president who expressed his support for the protests against the Boluarte government.

Punchthe Peruvian region of Aymara on the border with Bolivia, has become epicenter of the protests with an indefinite strike from 4 January.

From there it is organized a march to the Peruvian capital which should arrive from January 12, according to various appeals from social groups, which mainly bring together farmers.

The announcement against Morales coincides with new protests and checkpoints in six of the country’s 25 regions, where protesters call for the resignation of President Boluarte, the convening of a Constituent Assembly and the freedom of the deposed president Pedro Castillo.

“In recent months, foreign citizens of Bolivian nationality have been identified who entered the country to carry out political proselytizing activitieswhich constitutes a clear injury to our immigration legislation, national security and the internal order of Peru”, added the ministry to justify the decision.

Morales, who presided over Bolivia between 2006 and 2019, had an active presence in Peruvian politics from leftist former president Pedro Castillo came to power in July 2021 until he was ousted on December 7. In November he visited Puno.

Castillo was ousted after a failed coup and is serving 18 months in prison as dictated by a judge for the crime of rebellion.

What Evo Morales said after the decision of the Peruvian government

Morales regretted the Peruvian government’s decision on Twitter and maintained that he seeks “distract and dodge” accountability for “serious violations” of human rights.

The Peruvian authorities claim it Morales intends to divide the territory of Peru, promote secession through the creation of “Runasur”, an Andean region which should include part of the Peruvian Andean south with Bolivia.

“The only separatism in Peru is caused by racism, exclusion and discrimination by powerful groups in Lima against their own people. After all, the right does not accept that the indigenous people, those defamed for the color of their skin, the surname or place of origin came to power,” Evo Morales replied over the weekend.

Last year, he declared the right-wing controlled parliament Morales persona non grata.

A ban on her entry into Peru was demanded by Congress, which had become Dina Boluarte’s main foothold.

Roadblocks across Peru

Protests against the government of Dina Boluarte resumed on January 4, after a short break due to the end-of-year holidays.

Protesters held this on Monday checkpoints in six of the country’s 24 departments, including resort towns such as Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca; Cusco, Arequipa, Madre de Dios, Tacna and Apurimac.

The Puno city police station woke up to a barricade of dirt bags and a police guard, as a precaution against demonstrations in that highland city.

“We are concerned about what is happening in the city. The problem is that they want to damage the airport. They are using bombs. We have over 50 wounded police officers. We ask for calm,” police general David Villanueva said at a news conference in Puno.

In anticipation of possible attacks, the Transport Ministry said it would suspend operations at Alfredo Mendívil Airport in Ayacucho on Tuesday before a 48-hour strike began.

Though she considers herself a leftist, Boluarte is seen as a “traitor” by the communities and militants who support Castillo. Sectors of the right who previously promoted her downfall now support her. These mobilizations accumulate 34 deaths in almost a month.