Riot police shoots tear gas at demonstrators at an airport in Arequipa. Photo: Diego Ramos/AFP/Getty Images.
A local Peruvian media outlet recently reported that the Ecuadorian National Police had delivered 12,000 tear gas canisters to its Peruvian counterpart. The gas canisters had allegedly been loaned to Ecuador for the administration of its former president, Lenín Moreno, to subjugate demonstrators during the wave of protests which occurred in May, 2020.
The request for the return of the equipment occurred due to the lack of riot gear at the disposal of the Peruvian police amid the fierce repression of the continuous protests against the president appointed by Peru’s coup regime, Dina Boluarte, which has claimed the lives of dozens of Peruvians and injured hundreds of others.
A local Peruvian newspaper noted that the returned items includes some 4,400 37-millimeter tear gas grenades. The delivery will also include five thousand 12-millimeter cartridges and another thousand hand grenades.
As the delivery was taking place on Saturday night, the Peruvian police killed another protester in the capital, Lima, reportedly with a tear gas grenade.
A new day of mobilizations in Puno
The Puno region is still electrified by mass mobilizations against the coup regime. As a result, a total of two thousand police officers from the Special Services Unit (USE) were deployed to Puno and nearby areas on Monday morning.
#Ahora 🚨| Un gran contingente de efectivos policiales con apoyo de las FF. AA. al mando del general PNP Víctor Zanabria Ángulo se desplazan por la altura del #BarrioChino en Ica con el fin de desbloquear la Panamericana Sur. pic.twitter.com/OBFwynoXC8
— Policía Nacional del Perú (@PoliciaPeru) January 30, 2023
The police contingent, with the support of army and navy personnel, will relieve the personnel who have already been repressing demonstrators in the streets for several weeks.
While the military action is taking place on the Panamericana Sur highway, after the blockades and strikes resumed in the Ica area, delegations of the Quechua and Aymara peoples from the entire Puno region are concentrated in the Plaza de Armas of Juliaca for the 26th day of what is now an indefinite strike.
#Perú Inician masivas movilizaciones por diversas zonas de #Juluaca en la región #Puno Hoy cumplen 26 días de huelga Indefinida exigiendo la renuncia de la presidenta #DinaBoluarte @teleSURtv pic.twitter.com/JsWocpsiku
— JAIME HERRERA (@JaimeHerreraCaj) January 30, 2023
Juliaca is a Peruvian city, capital of the district of the same name and of the province of San Román, located in the department of Puno. On January 9, 2023, the police opened fire on demonstrators in Juliaca, killing at least 18 demonstrators with live ammunition.
This Monday, the Congress of the Republic also began a session to analyze a legislative project to advance with elections, as last Friday they rejected a proposal that provided for the holding of elections in October.
Minera [Mining] Las Bambas will paralyze activities
The Chinese mining company MMG announced this Monday that, as of this Wednesday, it will suspend its activities in Las Bambas, due to interruptions in transport as a result of the protests that have been taking place in the country since last December.
The company noted that both inbound and outbound traffic has been affected, for which reason “it has been forced to initiate a progressive slowdown of its Las Bambas operation due to shortages of critical supplies.”
Peru: Congress Rejects Early Elections Proposal Amidst Protests and More Deaths
Machu Picchu without tourists
Cuzco is home to the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu which, due to protests, has had to halt numerous flights and trains servicing the archaeological wonder.
The highland region of Puno contains the highest altitude navigable lake in the world, Titicaca, but the highway that connects it with Bolivia and the rest of the country is blocked. Madre de Dios contains some of the most attractive national parks in the tropical jungle, bordering Brazil and Bolivia, but it was the first region to be left without gas and fuel supplies due to the national crisis.
(RedRadioVE) by Dubraska Esteves
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/KW/SL
