Citizens of the departments of Cusco, Cajamarca, La Libertad, Amazonas, Arequipa, Moquegua, Puno and Ica move in caravans towards the capital.
Hundreds of Peruvians from different corners of the country continue to organize to meet in Lima in the coming days, as part of a massive call that aims to make the capital the epicenter of protests against the government of Dina Boluarte and to demand freedom of the former president Pedro Castillo.
From the departments of Cusco, Cajamarca, La Libertad, Amazonas, Arequipa, Moquegua, Puno and Ica, citizens, many of them indigenous, travel in caravans to the capital. The protesters seek to repeat the ‘March of the Four Theirs’, a massive mobilization carried out in July 2000 by thousands of Peruvians who traveled to Lima from the four cardinal points and protested for three days to demand the resignation of then-President Alberto Fujimori.
“Now a very serious problem has happened in our country and we are supporting economic solidarity collections,” said William Huaman Ojeda, vice president of the Cusco University Federation (FUC), in an interview with RT.
Huaman Ojeda explained that from Cusco, a city more than 1,000 kilometers away from Lima, the community organized to collect food and monetary support for citizens who will travel to the capital to join the protests.
Last Saturday, as part of an event with artists from Cusco, the community collected food and 10,000 soles (about $2,620) to support social organizations. “That support has served us a lot. I rescue the solidarity support of the Cusco population,” said Huaman Ojeda.
State of emergency
Despite the fact that the Peruvian government decreed last Saturday the state of emergency in three regions, two provinces and one district of the countrythe unions, social, student and indigenous organizations continue determined to demonstrate to demand the resignation of Boluarte.
These citizen mobilizations have contrasted with the violence that has been experienced since Boluarte was sworn in, on December 7. Clashes between protesters and security forces have left more than 50 fatalities.
“We want to arrive safely in the capital, and return in the same way“, explained the vice president of the FUC.
caravan lock
In addition to the police repression, the blockade carried out by the authorities to prevent the passage of social organizations has been added. This Monday, the Police stopped a caravan of vans and trucks with approximately 300 people in the department of Apurimac.
The uniformed men prevented the passage of the caravan that was heading to Lima at kilometer 32 of the road that goes from Libertadores to Huari, according to local media reports.
Despite the blockades, dozens of protesters from various provinces arrived in Lima on Monday to prepare the demonstrations for the following days.
In the midst of uncertainty, the social movements of Arequipa, more than 1,000 kilometers from Lima, announced that They will continue with the protests during this week and that they will join the national strike called for next Wednesday the 18th or Thursday the 19th of January.
Source: RT
