At least seven dead as Peru protests disrupt flights and train travel

At least seven people have died in ongoing protests in Peru after former President Pedro Castillo was impeached and later arrested after trying to dissolve Congress last week.

Two minors are among the dead, Peru’s ombudsman’s press office told CNNE on Tuesday, and there were two deaths on Sunday and five on Monday.

Since last week, demonstrations have erupted in cities across the country in support of Castillo, who has not accepted his removal from office and has branded his successor Dina Boluarte an “usurper.”

Demonstrators have called for a general election, the dissolution of Congress, and the creation of a new constituent assembly, according to the radio and television broadcaster Radio Programas del Perú.

Trains to and from Machu Picchu will be suspended from Tuesday due to the protests, railway operator PeruRail said in a statement.

“We regret the inconvenience that these announcements generate for our passengers; however, they are due to situations beyond the control of our company and seek to prioritize the safety of passengers and workers,” the statement read.

Protesters attempted to storm the terminal at Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport in Cuzco on Monday, according to the Peruvian Corporation of Airports and Commercial Aviation (CORPAC).

So far there have been no reports of injuries, arrests or damage to the airport, according to CORPAC.

LATAM called on Peruvian authorities to take “corrective measures to ensure safety” for the operation of its flights.

“We regret the inconvenience that this situation beyond our control has caused our passengers,” it added.

Peru’s National Police said that, as of Monday evening, there were blockades on national roads in at least 11 regions of the country.

In addition, the government has declared a state of emergency in seven provinces in the Apurimac region in south-central Peru.

Peru has been racked with political instability in recent years, and has been on the brink since Castillo was impeached for attempting to dissolve the nation’s Congress last week.

And Boluarte’s ascendency to the presidency may not necessarily ease Peru’s toxic and embittered political landscape.

Many Peruvians have been calling for political change, according to a September poll by the Institute of Peruvian Studies, which found 60% of those surveyed supported early elections to refresh both the presidency and Congress.

Boluarte “does not have a recognized political career,” said Fernando Tuesta Soldevilla, professor of political science at Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. “And without partisan support, political party or social organization behind her, she is weak from the beginning.”

“Everyone knows when Dina Boluarte’s government began, but no one can be sure how long it will last,” he told CNN.

On Monday morning, Boluarte proposed bringing general elections forward two years, to April 2024, after initially rejecting the idea.

-cnn