In the capital city of Peru, Lima, firefighters are working to put out a raging fire that broke out in a building close to a protest site. At the protest site, police fired tear gas as thousands of protesters poured into the city to demand the removal of President Dina Boluarte. The fire broke out in a building near the protest site.
On Thursday, protesters gathered in Lima’s historic downtown area, which is where scuffles broke out with the security forces. The security forces were battling to prevent the protesters from reaching key government buildings, including Congress, as well as business and residential districts of the capital city.
It was not immediately obvious how the fire that was burning late into Thursday night was connected to the protests that were taking place. People were seen in the images trying to get their possessions out of the building as quickly as possible since it was adjacent to various government buildings. On social media, the Peruvian National Police published tense images of the fire and issued a warning to residents to avoid the affected area.
The protestors and the police engaged in a game of “cat and mouse” throughout the better part of the day on Thursday. Some of the protesters tossed rocks as they attempted to get past the police lines, and the cops replied by firing volleys of tear gas, which caused the protesters to run.
The number of persons who participated in the demonstrations was estimated by the police to be 3,500, although some said that the true number was twice as high as the estimate.
During a march that protesters claimed was to “capture Lima,” Al Jazeera’s Mariana Sanchez reported from Lima that many people participated in the event peacefully, but that others fought with police.
The demonstrators were furious because they “demand justice” for the roughly 50 people who have been slain during the demonstrations so far. They have vowed to keep holding demonstrations until Boluarte steps down from his position as president.
According to the official ombudsman for the government, the number of people killed in the ongoing unrest that began a month ago has reached 45 at this point. Another nine deaths have been attributed to accidents related to the demonstrations, which were sparked by the removal of Peru’s left-wing former President Pedro Castillo on December 7 after he attempted to illegally close Congress and consolidate power. The demonstrations were sparked by the removal of Pedro Castillo.
The protestors’ goal is to give the revolution that started when Boluarte was sworn in to replace Castillo more momentum by moving the demonstrations to Lima.
According to the statement made by the Minister of the Interior, Vicente Romero Fernández, there were a total of 44 people wounded on Thursday throughout the nation, including 22 police personnel and 16 civilians.
A video that was shared on social media shows protesters attempting to attack the airport in southern Arequipa, which is the second largest city in Peru. They were stopped by the police, and the subsequent skirmishes resulted in the death of one individual, according to Peru’s ombudsman.
That was one of the three airports that were attacked by demonstrators on Thursday, according to Boluarte, who added that it was not “a simple coincidence” that all three airports were besieged on the same day.
The weeks of nationwide protests have marked the worst political violence in more than two decades and have highlighted the deep divisions between the urban elite, which is largely concentrated in Lima, and the poor rural areas. These divisions have been highlighted by the fact that there has been the worst political violence in more than two decades.
The administration of Boluarte prolonged the state of emergency that had been declared in Lima and the southern provinces of Puno and Cusco one week ago, therefore restricting certain civil liberties.
Boluarte has denied demands for her resignation while maintaining that the situation in the country is “in control.” She has also appealed for discussion.
During the demonstrations, human rights organizations have accused both the police and the army of deploying guns. The demonstrators are being accused by the police of making use of guns and improvised bombs.