Protests in Peru: Interrupted traffic is reported in more than 50 points in the country

The Peruvian authorities reported this Friday more than fifty points “with interrupted traffic” in nine regions of the countryon the third day of protests demanding the resignation of President Dina Boluarte and the closure of Congress, among other demands, after the Christmas truce.

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According to the latest update of an interactive map released by the Superintendence of Land Transportation of People (Sutran), citizen demonstrations in Peru affect a total of 53 points on 13 national roads.

Most of the blockades occur in the southern region of Puno, bordering Bolivia, even though traffic is also interrupted in neighboring regions from Cuzco and Madre de Dios.

Among the affected areas in Puno is the highway that connects the town of Chucuito with Desaguadero, one of the main transit points to Bolivia. In Cuzco, the blockades are reported on the Longitudinal highway of the Sierra Sur, at the height of towns such as Sicuani, Tinta and Combopata.

The right to peaceful protest ends where other rights are violated, such as blocking roads

The Demonstrations in Peru returned this Wednesday, after a truce at the end of the year, although they did so in a much more timid and concentrated way than last December, when in just 20 days the protests claimed the lives of 28 people.

(Also: Peru: President Boluarte calls for dialogue to end the protests)

The demands of the citizens are diverse, but they coincide in demanding the advancement of elections, a new constitution, the closure of Congress and the resignation of President Boluarte, who took office in December by constitutional succession after the failed self-coup by former president Pedro Castillo (2021-2022).

This Thursday, Boluarte recalled in a press conference that the protesters “have no legal protection to block roads” and urged them to dialogue with their government to “talk about the needs.”

(Keep reading: Peru: Anti-government protests resume with road blockades)

“The right to peaceful protest ends where other rights are violated, such as blocking roads, not letting people move freely in those spaces that you have been blocking,” said the president.

AFP