The conflicts in Peru and how it’s affecting their citizens

Photo Credit: Diego Delso via UBC Wiki

Although Peru is best known for its famous dishes and ancient architectural structures, the beloved country also has its own set of flaws. 

It all started with the 2021 presidential election between Keiko Fujimori and Pedro Castillo. But the question to many Peruvian citizens was, who is Pedro Castillo? 

Born in the Cajamarca region, the former elementary school teacher and son of illiterate farmers had neither social nor political connections to the government. Pedro Castillo had advocated for "drastic changes" to address inequality and poverty. In the eyes of many Peruvian citizens, Castillo was a politician the people could trust. 

In 2021, Castillo began his term as president, defeating Keiko Fujimori by 44,000 votes. Unlike his humble beginnings and faithful promises, his administration has had many corruption scandals. 

In December of last year, Castillo was removed from office after an attempt to temporarily suspend Congress and take over the government. His reason for doing so was to avoid impeachment for "moral incapacity" to exercise power after a litany of crises, including six investigations against him and five cabinet reshuffles. But shortly thereafter, his attempt to take over the country failed. Castillo then attempted to seek refuge with the Mexican embassy, but was found and arrested for "rebellion."

Castillo claimed to have read a document ordering the dissolution of Congress in the morning. 

“No one supported him. Absolutely no one," said Claudia Salazar Jimenez, a Peruvian author and professor at Cal Poly Pomona University. 

During his detention, the Congress of Peru swore in Castillo's vice president, Dina Boluarte, as the succeeding president. In February, angry protests spread across the country for seven weeks, ignited by the poor treatment and high poverty levels. 

"It was a very tense situation," explained Salazar, "and the response she gave was to give a lot of power to the police, which has resulted in 60 people being killed at this point. It has been a very, very brutal response."

President Boluarte began enforcing curfews and temporarily suspending civil liberties such as freedom of assembly, freedom of movement, and protection from warrantless searches. As Boluarte is technically the seventh president in the span of six years, Peruvian citizens are angry about the economic downturn their government has caused. 

"From what I see, because my parents watch the news all the time from Peru, it's always something bad; it's never something good; either someone died or there are protests," said Alexis Zuniga, a Peruvian student at Cal State Long Beach majoring in criminal justice. "My mom remembers Peru as a very nice place she can call home, and to see the [negative] things happening in Peru is very disappointing." 

Protesters in support of Castillo have blocked highways, and vandalism has been taking place, all while demanding the release of Castillo and calling for Dina Boluarte's resignation. Since Castillo represented the voice of a swath of the population that has long felt marginalized by the elite, supporters of Castillo have also burned down police stations and invaded the runway of the airport in Arequipa. 

Tourism has dropped due to these acts of protest, with 1.8 million people canceling their travel plans since Machu Picchu and other tourist attractions had to close. Those in support of Castillo have been protesting for an immediate plan to schedule general elections and vote for a new president. 

In addition to the protests, Peru has also experienced an extreme case of weather with Cyclone Yaku recently hitting the northern region of Peru with heavy torrential rains. 

The storm has left coastal cities such as Trujillo, Lambayeque and Piura covered in water; leaving residents unable to walk without getting wet and their cars immobile. 

"It is terrible,” said Jose Cedeño, a professor in the Chimbote department of Ancash at the National University of Santa. “There are houses that have been swept away by the rains and the force of the waters have destroyed entire houses. It is a disaster, bridges have been broken, there are human losses; then what is the response of Mrs. Boluarte? ‘We have no money. We don't have money for that contingency.’ And that is corruption." 

As of today, the protests slowly continue after 100 days, and Peruvians still see that repression remains. The cyclone, Yaku, continues to affect all Peruvian citizens as it has caused 58 casualties, 12,000 affected people, and damages to over 4,500 houses in the national territory. Although the heaviest rains were mostly in March, they will continue at a lower intensity until May. 

"This is the reality of my beloved country," stresses Cedeño. "I love my Peru, but it cannot continue to be squandered."