Thousands of Peruvians, many from the country's southern mining regions, descended on the capital Lima on Thursday for a major planned march against the government and Congress, fired up by over 50 deaths linked to protests since last month.
The clashes mark the worst violence Peru has seen in over 20 years as many people in poorer rural regions vent anger at the Lima political elite over inequality and rising prices, testing the copper-rich Andean nation's democratic institutions.
"We want Dina Boluarte to resign," said Julio Saldivar, a protester from Ayacucho, where a dozen peopled died in December. The protests, sparked by the dramatic Dec. 7 ouster of leftist former President Pedro Castillo after he tried to illegally shutter Congress and consolidate power, have seen 43 people killed in clashes, including one police officer. Nine more have died in related accidents.
Boluarte has asked for "forgiveness" for the protest deaths but remained firm that she is not going to resign.
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