2 more people killed in southern Peru amid unrest
Protesters have set fire to the police station and judicial office in the Peruvian town of Macusani after two people were killed and another seriously injured by gunfire amid antigovernment protests
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Protesters set fire to the police station and judicial office in the Peruvian town of Macusani Wednesday after two people were killed and another seriously injured by gunfire amid antigovernment protests.
The deaths were confirmed by Macusani health official Dr. Iván Fernández and brought to 53 the number of people killed during more than a month of unrest following the ouster of President Pedro Castillo.
The officers had to escape the police station that the crowd burned in a helicopter, police said. Macusani, about 160 kilometers from the city of Juliaca near Lake Titicaca, is the capital of the province of Carabaya,
The deaths come as protesters converge on Lima for an antigovernment protest Thursday that activists hope will open a new chapter in the weeks-old movement demanding President Dina Boluarte's resignation by bringing the protests to Peru's capital.
Besides Boluarte's resignation, protesters are demanding the closure of Congress and immediate elections. Some are calling for the release of Castillo, who remains in prison. The governors of Puno, Cusco and Apurímac regions in southern Peru have called for Boluarte’s resignation.
The unrest began in early December following the destitution and arrest of Castillo, Peru’s first president of rural, Andean roots, following his attempt to dissolve Congress and head off his own impeachment.
Boluarte was Castillo’s former running mate before taking over the presidency. She has said she supports a plan to push up to 2024 elections for president and congress originally scheduled for 2026.
Castillo, a political novice who lived in a two-story adobe home in the Andean highlands before moving to the presidential palace, eked out a narrow victory in elections in 2021 that rocked Peru’s political establishment and laid bare the deep divisions between residents of the capital, Lima, and the long-neglected countryside.