Lima, 21 Feb. Anti-government demonstrations in Peru decreased this Monday to less than 5% of the national territory, concentrated in the southern region of Puno, bordering Bolivia, where roadblocks were maintained and some demonstrations took place.
Peruvian authorities said roadblocks were concentrated for the first time since their establishment in December in this region alone, where nine national highways interrupted traffic at 35 points, according to data from the Superintendence of Land Transport of People. , Goods and Goods (Sutran).
Among the most affected highways was the Longitudinal de la Sierra Sur towards Desaguadero, one of the main transit points to Bolivia, as well as the highway that connects the department of Moquegua to Desaguadero and the one that leads from Arequipa in the city. from Puno, Juliaca, among others.
Puno, a region more than 1,200 kilometers south of Lima, has been the epicenter of the protests since they resumed last January, after a Christmas truce, and remains mobilized, as demonstrations descend in the rest of the country. .
The Office of the Ombudsman reported this Monday that, in total, the demonstrations affected 4.6% of the national territory, with mobilizations and concentrations in the provinces of Arequipa, Puno and San Román, as well as the paralysis of activities in San Roman and Puno. .
The protests began in December after former President Pedro Castillo’s failed self-coup and demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte, the closure of Congress, the advancement of elections to 2023 and the calling of a constituent assembly.
According to data from the ombudsman’s office, 48 people died in clashes with law enforcement during the protests, while a policeman lost his life after being burned alive and 11 other people died due to roadblocks by protesters. .
President Boluarte also confirmed another death from the same causes, that of a patient who was due to travel to Lima but was held up in the blockades, and Unicef reported the death of a baby to to be born, in addition to the death of a woman in the northern region of La Libertad, reported by the police.
Peruvian Prime Minister Alberto Otárola confirmed on January 19 the death of four Haitian citizens in Desaguadero, and a few days later the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (Acnur) raised the number to seven travelers who found themselves stranded, exposed to climatic adversity and limited access to basic services. ECE
dubbing/amd