LETTER FROM CUZCO
The army deployed in several districts of the country, repeated calls from municipal elected officials to imitate the “Bukele plan” (named after the Salvadoran president acclaimed by supporters of the strong approach to fight against gangs, despite the violations of human rights), proposed laws inviting the creation of the notion of “urban terrorism”… In recent weeks, the temptation to go all-in safe is gaining ground in Peru.
On September 18, the interim government of Dina Boluarte – grappling with 80% of the population demanding their departure – declared a state of emergency in three districts. More than 500 soldiers were deployed in the streets to reinforce the police forces to “fight delinquency and organized crime”. The localities concerned are two popular districts of Lima, among the most populous: San Juan de Lurigancho, in the east of the capital, which has more than a million inhabitants, and San Martin de Porres, in the north, as well as the Sullana district, in the Piura region, in the north of the country. Thursday October 5, the Head of State announced the extension of this measure to the historic center of the capital.
The government measure is presented as a response to repeated requests from mayors saying they are overwhelmed by a “wave of delinquency”, with increasingly violent methods. Armed robberies, extortion, kidnappings… Traders in certain neighborhoods of Lima complain of being forced to pay cupos, a percentage of their profits, to mafias, in the face of death threats. The phenomenon of sicariato (assassination by a hitman) would be in full explosion. He “jumped 300% in recent years in the district”, said Hernan Sifuentes, mayor of San Martin de Porres, on September 20 on the Reuters video channel. According to the police, 186 murders of this type were reported in Lima between January and July alone, a figure that is constantly increasing.
On September 20, a march in the center of the capital to demand more security brought together hundreds of people. On the signs, these slogans: “Our están matando, Militares a las calles [“on nous tue, militaires dans la rue”]. » A few days earlier, the explosion of a grenade in front of a nightclub in San Juan de Lurigancho for an alleged extortion affair had left several people injured.
Insecurity, one of the main concerns of Peruvians
Insecurity is thus one of the main concerns of Peruvians, according to opinion surveys, alongside corruption and inflation. Around 80% of those surveyed feel unsafe in the country’s large cities, particularly in Lima, 10 million of Peru’s 33 million inhabitants.
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