Clashes between Peruvian security forces and demonstrators demanding the resignation of President Dina Bolwarte have killed at least 12 people in Huliaca, during an attempt to storm the city's airport in the southeastern part of the country, the ombudsman said. (local ombudsman), quoted by France Press.

"We have confirmed 12 deaths today in Puno during clashes with security forces near Huliaca Airport, in the Aymara ethnic (American Indian people) area of ​​Puno," a source from the ombudsman's office told AFP on condition of anonymity. .

A little earlier, the coordinator of the city ombudsman's office, Nivardo Henriques Barriales, told AFP about "nine dead in the morgue after clashes in Juliaca".

The protesters are demanding the resignation of Dina Bolwarte, who took over as the country's leader after the ouster of socialist Pedro Castillo in early December, as well as a new parliament and the immediate holding of elections, the date of which has already been pushed back from 2026 to April 2024.

Protests in Peru erupted again

The Puno region, which borders Bolivia, has been the epicenter of protests in the country, which has been gripped by an indefinite strike since January 4.

The demonstrations began after Castillo was removed by parliament and arrested on December 7 following his attempt to dissolve the legislature, which lawmakers described as a "coup d'état."

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protests in Peru