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Pressured by the Peruvian people, President Pedro Castillo suspended the curfew in Lima and Callao. The president imposed a state of emergency in these localities to avoid disturbances due to the rise in prices at the national level.
The state of emergency in Peru’s capital, Lima, and its neighboring province of Callao, was lifted seven hours ahead of schedule. This reversal has to do with the protests that broke out in the capital this same Tuesday, April 5, despite the immovability order.
It was the Peruvian president, Pedro Castillo, who announced the suspension of this measure, imposed in order to disperse a strike by carriers who have been protesting for days over the rise in prices nationwide.
During a meeting with political leaders in Congress, the president of the Inca country assured to respect “the attitude and the right that Peruvians and citizens have to demonstrate.”
However, “this does not mean that, taking advantage of a mobilization or a constitutional right, we as a State endorse some attitudes,” he said.
This, in reference to the “road blockade” and the violent gestures by some protesters “such as stoning, for example, a home, attacking private property, public institutions and private institutions.”
During his speech, which was also attended by several of his ministers, the president explained that the powers of the State are there to serve the country and “safeguard the lives of our compatriots.”
Finally, Castillo called “for the tranquility of the Peruvian people.”
The ruler announced the curfew in Lima and Callao in a message to the Nation minutes before midnight last Monday. The citizen immobility that began at 2 in the morning was scheduled to end at 11:59 at night on Tuesday.
Many politicians, some former allies, considered the head of state’s decision “excessive”, “unconstitutional” and “authoritarian”.
For their part, thousands of citizens defied the decree and demonstrated in downtown Lima. This time, to demand the resignation of the president.
Protest in the center of Lima
The state of emergency surprised the nearly 11 million inhabitants of Lima and Callao since, although the protests became violent in some provinces of the country, they had little impact in these localities.
Indeed, thousands of Peruvians echoed on social networks, and then approached the streets of the historic center of Lima to demand the president’s resignation.
The protest in this part of the capital, in which the demonstrators chanted slogans such as “terrorism never again”, led to strong riots and clashes with the police.
However, the citizens failed in the attempt to reach the gates of Parliament, where the president held a meeting with legislators and announced that he was revoking the state of emergency.
The order affected Peruvians living in the capital for more than fifteen hours and caused an estimated economic loss of 270 million dollars, according to the employer’s association.
The strike of carriers
The strike of the carriers began nine days ago due to the rise in prices, such as fuel and food, at the national level. This triggered temporary and partial road closures, and in some cases, looting.
Four people have died, although none of them due to clashes, and around 20 people have been arrested due to the disturbances originating in different regions of the country.
On Monday, some protesters burned five toll booths in the Ica region, while supermarkets and warehouses were looted in the city of Trujillo. The same thing happened in the city of Huancayo last weekend.
With Efe and local media
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