Peru’s Minister of Defense, Luis Alberto Otarola, announced on Wednesday that the Andean government has decided to declare a 30-day national state of emergency in response to the protests in support of former president Pedro Castillo.
According to Otarola, during this period, the National Police will be in charge of maintaining internal order in the country in collaboration with the Armed Forces, as reported by the Peruvian radio station RPP.
The Minister of Defense considers that this is a «forceful and authoritative» response by the Peruvian authorities to the recent violent protests in several regions of the country.
Already on Wednesday the current president of Peru, Dina Boluarte, pointed to the possibility of extending the current state of emergency – valid only in the regions of Ica, Arequipa and Apurimac – to the whole territory of Peru.
The clashes between police and demonstrators have already led the president to declare a state of emergency for 60 days in the three aforementioned regions, epicenter of the violent protests in which at least six civilians have already been confirmed dead.
Currently there are already four airports in Peru – Cusco, Puno, Arequipa and Apurimac – which have been closed. PeruRail also confirmed the stoppage of the trains that connect with Machu Picchu, one of the country’s main tourist attractions.
Thousands of people are protesting in the south of the country against the dismissal of former President Castillo as a response to what the Executive has called a «coup d’état». The protests are also demanding the new government to call presidential elections.
