The Peruvian Army justifies the repression of the protests that left 9 dead in Ayacucho

MADRID, 19 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Joint Command of the Peruvian Armed Forces has justified that the use of force to quell the protests in Ayacucho (south), and which resulted in nine deaths and a dozen injuries, occurred as a result of the attacks that have been suffered by "bad Peruvians" since the demonstrations in favor of former President Pedro Castillo intensified in recent days.

"In that space of time we have suffered attacks from both the National Police and the Armed Forces from these bad Peruvians," said the head of the Central Command, General Manuel Gómez de la Torre, thus implying that they had to resort to firearms to quell the protests.

"We have remained firm in the face of this threat to our national security, we have been gradually recovering normality on our roads, in our airports, in our cities," Gómez de la Torre stressed when he explained the operation to prevent the seizure of the airport in Ayacucho.

However, the military authorities have not explained why some of the people who were observing everything outside the airport facilities received bullet wounds, reports the newspaper 'La República'.

For his part, General Rubén Castañeda has avoided talking about how those deaths occurred and has stressed that if they had not retaken control of the airport and with some of the roads still blocked, the Army would not have had the "capacity" to deal with the demonstrations.

"Why did they try to take over the Ayacucho airport? Because it is very important. It is used to carry the personnel who are reinforcing the security and control of both the National Police and the Armed Forces. We have been bringing people from different parts of the country to take them to Apurímac, first, and then to Ayacucho, which are critical places", said General Castañeda.

On the eve of two weeks since the dismissal and arrest of Castillo, nearly 195,000 people have taken to the streets of 144 towns throughout the country to protest and demand the closure of Congress, the release of the former president and the holding of elections as soon as possible. anticipated.

The Peruvian Police have reported that 183 people have been arrested for violent acts during the protests, which have so far left several hundred injured and a total of 25 deaths.

As a consequence of this new political crisis in Peru, the new president, Dina Boluarte, has announced the dismissal of the hitherto prime minister, Pedro Angulo, who has barely lasted ten days in office. It is expected that throughout this week he will remodel his cabinet with a view to being able to channel the negotiation in the midst of social discontent.