“We have 5,000 tourists trapped in the city of Cusco. They are in their hotels and waiting for flights to resume,” Darwin Baca, mayor of the neighboring district of Machu Picchu, also in Cusco, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The city airport was closed today, the roads were blocked, the railway transport was paralyzed.
The mayor stressed that the Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport in Cusco, the third busiest in the country, has been closed since Monday, when protesters tried to invade infrastructure, while protests in this city continue.
Meanwhile in Machu Picchu, about 200 tourists, mostly North Americans and Europeans, left the region on foot, following a railway line, to the city of Ollantaytambo, 30 kilometers away, where they wait for a bus.
The train between the stone citadel and Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire, located 110 kilometers away, is the only modern way to get to the ex-libris of Peruvian tourism.
In Aguas Calientes, a resort town nestled in a steep valley at the foot of the historic site from which Machu Picchu can be reached, dozens of tourists are also waiting for transport.
“They are afraid that they will arrive in Cusco and will not be able to return to their country, because they are afraid that the situation will worsen,” Darwin Baca added.
The Portuguese government is working to evacuate 65 Portuguese tourists in Peru as soon as possible, Secretary of State for Portuguese Communities Paulo Cafofo told Lusa today.
According to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in 2020, 242 Portuguese citizens were registered at the Portuguese Embassy in Lima.
At least 18 people have died during demonstrations and clashes with security forces that have rocked the country since December 7.
A delegation from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) will visit Peru from December 19 to 21, the autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS) announced today.
The agency clarified that the IACHR executive secretariat is “available” to visit Peru from 19 to 21 December, with another rapporteur visit scheduled for January.
Castillo asked this Wednesday after his arrest that the IACHR intercede for his rights, while the new government of Dina Boluarte has not yet reported any request for a visit from this organization.
Also today, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated his call for the rule of law in Peru and the guarantee of freedom of assembly and peaceful demonstration.
Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesman for the organization, reminded Guterres, “is following the situation with concern” and regrets the loss of life.
Boluarte took office as President of Peru on December 7, replacing Pedro Castillo, who was dismissed by Congress after the decision to dissolve this body and announce the formation of an emergency government that will rule by decree, convene a Constitutional Assembly and reorganize the justice system.
The new president has proposed that Congress hold a general election in December 2023 to contain the protests that erupted after the resignation of Castillo, who said he was the victim of a coup.
On Wednesday, the head of state declared a state of emergency for 30 days, which means suspension of the right of assembly or freedom of movement.
However, this measure did not calm the mood of the demonstrators and, on the contrary, seemed to aggravate the protests.
