LIMA, Peru (AFP) — At least 12 people died Monday in Peru as anti-government protesters trying to overrun an airport clashed with security forces, officials said.
The violence took place in the southeastern city of Juliaca, in the Puno region, an official in the local ombudsman’s office told AFP. The office gave an earlier death toll of nine.
The protesters were demanding the departure of President Dina Boluarte, who took over after the ouster and arrest of then president Pedro Castillo on December 7.
Castillo’s removal after he tried to dissolve congress and start ruling by decree has triggered weeks of clashes nationwide in this country beset by years of political instability.
Protesters angry over the removal of the leftist Castillo want Boluarte to resign and new elections right away. They have already been moved up from 2026 to April of 2024.
Juliaca, located in the Puno region on the border with Bolivia, has been a hotbed of anti-government protests. An open ended strike was declared there on January 4.
© Agence France-Presse