Peru is in a state of upheaval, sparked last week by a six-day strike by farmers and truckers in the agricultural department (province) of Junin over high prices of fuel, fertilizer, and food. Truckers blocked the main highways out of the city of Huancayo, the capital of Junin, both to the east and the west, preventing food from reaching the capital of Lima, and causing shortages and affecting food exports. Now protests are occurring nationwide, including clashes with police, vandalism, and looting of gas stations and food markets, with several dead and injured. Late last night President Pedro Castillo declared a state of emergency and a curfew in Lima and the neighboring port city of Callao, prohibiting people from leaving their homes unless they work in essential services. The military has also been deployed to different parts of the country.
As is occurring in other countries, the price inflation in food, fuel, and fertilizer is a result of the global crisis and the impact of having imposed sanctions on Russia. In March of this year, prices in Peru rose by 6.8% compared to March of 2021, and inflation, overall, is growing at the fastest pace in 24 years, according to Bloomberg. But, as EIR’s Lima bureau pointed out, Peru had already reached the limits of its toleration well before this current situation erupted. Its population was slammed by the pandemic. Poverty is widespread; 75% of the population works in the “informal” sector. “People aren’t eating; they can’t take it anymore. The situation has just exploded,” said EIR’s Luis Vasquez. The whole country is in crisis.
