The Peruvian region of Apurímac has become one of the main sources of riots against the country’s new president, Dina Boluarte. Since the arrest of the former president, Pedro Castillo, for dissolving parliament and decreeing a state of emergency, became known, the area has become a hotbed of protests and riots between social groups and the Police. The protesters, followers of Castillo, demand the resignation of the new president, a native of this region, and the call for new elections.
The tension has lasted for days and this Sunday it has escalated to the point that an airport has been closed due to the protests. The Peruvian Corporation of Airports and Commercial Aviation (Corpac) announced this Sunday the closure of the airport in the southern Andean city of Andahuaylas due to riots and fire of part of its facilities by protesters.
Through a statement shared by the Ministry of Transport and Communications, Corpac explained that the terminal “has been suffering attacks and acts of vandalism” since Saturday afternoon, which have affected the landing strip and essential equipment for the air navigation service.
Likewise, “they have set fire to the transmitter room, the fuel room” and have surrounded the terminal, where they are 50 members of the National Police and Corpac workers, added the official source.
In this sense, the state company requested the reinforcement of the National Police in the place to put the lives of the people who are “hostages”.
Police officers have been taken hostage in a city square
Protest mobilizations broke out, in isolation, in Andahuaylas and other cities in the country on the same day that former President Pedro Castillo was removed from office by Congress, after ordering the dissolution of Parliament and the establishment of an emergency government.
On Saturday, the protesters they took two police officers hostage in a square in Andahuaylas in the middle of a day of marches, which led to clashes with the National Police that left around twenty injured.
The Ombudsman’s Office reported on Saturday that it was coordinating the medical care of all the injured, after having reported at least 20, including civilians and police officers.
According to the images shared by local media, a policeman was tied up near the Andahuaylas square and was prevented from leaving the place, hours after the protesters confronted the police in the streets of that city, located in the native region of Boluarte.
Precisely, the Head of State spoke this Saturday about the demonstrations in different parts of the territory, and declared that respect, dialogue and tolerance are essential in a democracy. The Head of State made “a call for calm and serenity” and stressed that “dialogue and understanding is imperative.”
Demonstrations have also taken place in the center of Lima, a short distance from the Government Palace, where the protesters clashed with the National Police on Friday and the agents dispersed them with tear gas canisters.
