International
Thousands of protesters expected in Peru’s capital
January 19 | By AFP | Carlos Mandujano / Luis Jaime Cisneros |
Thousands of protesters were expected to descend on Peru’s capital Lima on Thursday, defying a state of emergency to express their anger with President Dina Boluarte after weeks of unrest.
One demonstrator was killed on Wednesday in clashes with police in the country’s south, raising tensions and bringing the death toll from the protests to 43, according to Peru’s human rights ombudsman.
The South American country has been rocked by more than a month of protests, mostly in the southern and eastern areas, since the ouster and arrest of Boluarte’s predecessor Pedro Castillo in December.
On Wednesday, a 35-year-old woman was killed in the southern Puno region, according to a hospital statement. At least one other person, a 30-year-old man, was injured in the demonstrations, the statement said.
Thousands of protesters from rural areas are expected to descend on Lima this week to keep up pressure against the government, defying a state of emergency declared to maintain order.
“We are coming to make our voices heard. We are tremendously forgotten,” villager Edwin Condori, 43, from the Cusco region, told AFP.
Demonstrators in Lima are expected to call for Boluarte’s resignation, the dissolution of parliament and fresh elections.
Although protestors across the country have vowed to meet in the capital, it is difficult to determine how many will arrive.
Counter-protests are already underway in a sign of divisions wracking the country.
One of Peru’s biggest labor unions, the General Confederation of Workers, has called a strike for Thursday.
‘She doesn’t represent us’
On Tuesday, many poor and Indigenous demonstrators made their presence felt in Lima, where police used smoke canisters against marchers who had gathered ahead of larger mobilizations.
Dozens marched through the capital’s streets to Plaza San Martin, the historic epicenter of demonstrations.
Boluarte urged protesters flooding into Lima to gather “peacefully and calmly.”
“We want Dina Boluarte’s resignation. We don’t feel that she represents us,” said Jesus Gomez, an agricultural engineer from Chumbivilcas in the Cusco region.
“We have come in an organized way to take over Lima, to paralyze Lima, to be heard,” he said.
But the president warned protesters that “the rule of law cannot be hostage to the whims” of a single group of people.
“Dina Boluarte should leave because she does not represent the coast, the mountains, or the jungle,” said teacher Edith Calixto, 45 from the Andes.
Residents of the northern city of Cajamarca carried signs that read “National Insurgency.” Some held “rondero” whips of the type used by local patrols in rural areas.
“Dina, please, resign so that this town calms down because the town is not going to give up,” Antonia Riveros, a 55-year-old native of Huancavelica, said.
Rival protests
A rival “march for peace” was also underway in Lima, with dozens of members from community groups and political parties wearing white T-shirts in rejection of the protests against Boluarte.
“We do not want violence in our country. I know that now there is a group that disagrees with the current government, but nevertheless it is not the way to carry out a protest,” 56-year-old merchant Cesar Noa told AFP.
Protesters have maintained almost 100 roadblocks across Peru.
Castillo was removed from office and arrested on December 7 after attempting to dissolve the country’s legislature and rule by decree, amid multiple corruption investigations.
Boluarte, who was Castillo’s vice president, succeeded him. But despite Boluarte belonging to the same left-wing party, Castillo supporters have rejected her, even accusing her of being a “traitor.”
International
Claudia Sheinbaum: Operation Against ‘El Mencho’ Was Based on Pending Arrest Warrants
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday rejected claims that the military operation that resulted in the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was carried out under pressure from the United States government.
Sheinbaum explained that the deployment of federal forces was aimed at executing outstanding arrest warrants against Oseguera Cervantes, who was considered one of the most wanted criminals in both Mexico and the United States.
“That was not the objective (to ease pressure from the United States). It is very important, and I want to repeat it. This individual had an arrest warrant, or several,” Sheinbaum said, referring to the operation conducted on February 22.
According to the president, the initial goal was to capture Oseguera Cervantes, but military forces responded after coming under attack during the intervention.
“The operation was to detain him. The problem is that they were attacked — the Secretariat of National Defense — and they responded at that moment,” she said.
The president insisted that the action was not carried out in response to external demands, although she acknowledged intelligence cooperation with the United States.
“It was not done in any way because of pressure from the United States, not at all. Of course, there was intelligence information from the United States that was used specifically,” she concluded.
International
Spain Denies Any Agreement to Cooperate with U.S. Military in Iran Operations
Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares on Wednesday firmly denied that Madrid has agreed to cooperate with the U.S. military in operations against Iran, contradicting statements made minutes earlier by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
“I categorically deny it,” Albares said in a radio interview cited by EFE. “The position of the Spanish government regarding the war in the Middle East, the bombings in Iran, and the use of our bases has not changed by a single comma.”
Earlier in the day, Leavitt told reporters that Spain had “agreed to cooperate with the United States military in recent hours,” following President Donald Trump’s threat to impose a trade embargo on Madrid. Trump had warned of economic measures after Spain reportedly refused to allow the Pentagon to use facilities at Spanish bases for operations related to Iran.
“I have no idea what that could be referring to or where it could be coming from,” Albares said, insisting that Spain’s position “has not changed at all” and therefore “remains absolutely unchanged.” He added that he had “no desire” and “almost no time” to speculate about the White House spokesperson’s remarks.
Albares reiterated Spain’s “No to war” stance, which he said had been clearly and forcefully expressed by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in an institutional address. According to the foreign minister, that position has been supported by “many European colleagues.”
International
White House Says Spain Agrees to Cooperate with U.S. Military After Trump Threatens Trade Embargo
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that Spain has agreed “in recent hours” to cooperate with the U.S. military, following President Donald Trump’s threat to impose a trade embargo on Madrid.
Trump had warned of potential commercial measures after Spain reportedly refused to allow the Pentagon to use facilities at Spanish military bases for operations related to Iran.
“With respect to Spain, I think you heard the president’s message yesterday loud and clear, and I understand that in recent hours they have agreed to cooperate with the United States military,” Leavitt said during a press briefing.
She added that the U.S. military is currently coordinating with its counterparts in Spain. However, the president expects broader support.
“The president expects that all of Europe, all of our European allies, of course, will cooperate in this important mission — not only for the United States, but also for Europe,” Leavitt said.
Her remarks came in response to questions about Spain’s position and its role as a U.S. ally amid rising tensions surrounding operations involving Iran.
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