Peru president imposes curfew in Lima, Callao after protests
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Loading... - Molly Palmer
- 05 Apr 2022
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Peruvian President Pedro Castillo announced a curfew for Tuesday for the capital Lima and neighboring port city Callao following a demonstration that caused roadblocks and “acts of violence”.
Protests had erupted across the country in recent days due to a hike in fuel prices and tolls, during a period in which Peru is also suffering from a rise in food prices.
In an attempt to appease protesters, the government eliminated the fuel tax over the weekend.
But Monday’s demonstration saw truckers and passenger carrier drivers continue to take to the streets in Lima, as well as several regions in the north — from the coastal city Piura to the densely forested Amazonas.
Castillo announced late Monday that Peru’s Council of Ministers had approved a curfew for the following day.
“In view of the acts of violence that some groups have wanted to create… and in order to reestablish peace… the Council of Ministers has approved the declaration of citizen immobility (curfew) from 2:00 am to 11:59 pm on Tuesday, April 5,” he said in a televised message.
Several violent incidents, including the burning of toll booths on highways, looting in stores and clashes between protesters and police occurred during the first such stoppage faced by Castillo’s leftist government.
Protesters had also blocked the Pan-American highway, the country’s most important transport and traffic artery snaking north to south, and school had been suspended.
“I call for calm and serenity,” he said during his brief appearance on television.
“Social protest is a constitutional right, but it must be done within the law.” Read More…
