>
The spiralling violence began when former leader Pedro Castillo was forced out of office and detained on rebellion charges in early December after attempting to dissolve congress and rule by decree in the hope of avoiding a third impeachment trial.
Boluarte, his vice-president, succeeded him but became quickly unpopular as police unleashed deadly violence on Castillo’s supporters, in turn ramping up anger and inciting more protests and blockades.
In Castillo, a former schoolteacher with no previous political experience, many rural Peruvians thought they found a leader who represented them. Despite allegations of corruption, and accusations that he had surrounded himself with cronies and had little grasp of how to govern, many sided with him as he faced down the deeply unpopular opposition-led congress and hostile media.
In poor, largely Indigenous Puno, where close to 90% of the population voted for Castillo in 2021 on his promise to lift up the poor, Governor Richard Hancco said dialogue with Boluarte’s government was out of the question.