Peru: A day after 18 people were killed in clashes between protesters and security forces, Peru on Tuesday announced a curfew in the southern Puno region in an effort to quell violent protests.
The three-day nighttime curfew, according to Prime Minister Alberto Otarola, will last from 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. (0100 to 0900 GMT).
A total of 40 people have died during protests calling for the ouster of President Dina Boluarte, who assumed office on December 7 after Pedro Castillo was deposed and arrested.
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Due to the deaths, the prosecutor's office in Peru announced on Tuesday that it was opening a genocide investigation against Boluarte and other top officials.
The protest movement led by Castillo supporters has its centre in the Puno region, which borders Bolivia and is home to many Aymara Indigenous people.
Overnight, protesters in the area ransacked stores and attacked police cars. The majority of the bloodshed occurred when protesters attempted to storm the heavily guarded airport in the city of Juliaca.
14 people died, many of whom had gunshot wounds, according to a hospital official in Juliaca.
The United Nations reported that a police officer died after his car was set on fire, making him the last victim known. Three additional people died during the ransacking of a Juliaca shopping centre.
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The government has defended the actions of the security personnel in Juliaca, saying they put an end to a planned "coup" attempt by a large number of protesters.
Nevertheless, Marta Hurtado, a spokeswoman for the UN Human Rights Office, urged officials to "carry out prompt, impartial and effective investigations into the deaths and injuries, holding those responsible to account and ensuring victims receive access to justice and redress."
When leftist Castillo, who was under investigation for corruption, was removed from office and detained on charges of rebellion after attempting to dissolve parliament and rule by decree, protests broke out a month earlier. Since then, tension has risen in Juliaca and Puno, where a general strike that lasted a week has caused businesses to close.
Both cities are located close to the high Andean border with Bolivia at an elevation of about 3,800 metres (12,500 feet).
Roadblocks have been erected by protesters in six of the 25 departments of the nation. According to officials, there are 53 different road blocks.
Thousands marched through the streets of Huamanga in the southern Andean region of Ayacucho to demand Boluarte's resignation and new elections, which had already been moved up from April 2026 to April 2024.
The UN office in Peru criticised the death toll and expressed its "deep concern over the increasing violence."
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We implore the government and security forces to act quickly to ensure the protection of human rights, including the right to peaceful assembly. Leaders of Peru's dominant Catholic Church referred to the most recent violence as "a situation of war."
Cardinal Pedro Barreto, the archbishop of Huancayo, in central Peru, said on radio station RPP, "We are in the hands of barbarism." The regional government of Puno called for Boluarte to step down and proclaimed three days of mourning for the recent deaths.
A delegation from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights will travel to Peru on Wednesday to look into the demonstrations and claims of political repression.
Evo Morales, the first indigenous president of Bolivia and a member of the Aymara ethnic group, urged Peru on Tuesday to put an end to "the massacre of our brothers."
He was denied entry into Peru on Monday after the government charged him with attempting to meddle in the internal affairs of the nation.