At least one person has been killed and over a hundred injured during widespread anti-government protests in Peru. Following the violent demonstrations, the Peruvian government on Friday dismissed the capital Lima’s police chief.
The protests, led by Gen-Z youth groups, demanded that the country’s political leadership take effective action against crime and corruption. In response to the violence, General Enric Felipe Monroy, who had been serving as Lima’s police chief since January 2024, was removed from his post pending investigation into Wednesday’s demonstrations. General Manuel Vidarte has been appointed as his replacement.
Lima has been rocked by protests for several weeks due to failures in controlling corruption, contract killings, and extortion. Last week, former president Dina Boluarte was impeached by Congress for failing to tackle violent crime effectively. Until a new president is elected in April, Congress Speaker Jose Jerry will serve as interim president.
Jerry stated that criminals have infiltrated the protests to create chaos. He has ordered an investigation into the death of protester Eduardo Ruiz Saenz during clashes with police. On social media platform X, he expressed deep sorrow over the death but did not provide further details regarding the cause.
Source: Reuters.