There is a tense calm in Lima ahead of a new round of anti-government protests this week, which will see tens of thousands of police deployed in Peru’s capital as demonstrators once again seek political reform and accountability for the alleged abuses during previous rallies.
While stuck in the rush-hour traffic, a taxi driver told CNN that he will continue to work and brave the protesters’ expected blockades on Wednesday because he needs the money.
Alex Mendoza said that food was getting very expensive these days, adding that he only makes $30 a day, which is barely enough to cover his daily costs, let alone the fines he risks incurring for being one of the many unlicensed taxi drivers in Lima.
Previous protests – which began in December following the ousting of Peru’s former President Pedro Castillo and ended around March – ground some parts of the country to a halt and saw human rights groups accuse security forces of excessive abuse and extrajudicial killings in the violent clashes.
The social unrest was the worst the country had seen in two decades, leaving more than 60 people dead – many of whom were from southern Peru, where indigenous Aymara and Quechua people maintain their own languages and cultural traditions, as well as a sense of separation from people in urban areas of coastal Peru, particularly Lima.
Yet many of the protesters’ key demands, such as the resignation of President Dina Boluarte, early elections, and the closure of Congress, remain unanswered.
As the political elite and protesters remained at an impasse, the months-long demonstrations cost the country tens of millions in economic damage, according to government estimates. Many are worried about how this third round of nationwide discontent will affect their bottom lines. It is why Mendoza is torn on where he stands. He also said that in Lima, they live from day to day, if protests start again, they would not be able to work to provide for their family.
Still, the protesters do have the right to march – there is a lot of discontent, he said.
