“My government has arranged a frontal and determined fight against that alliance formed by terrorism and drug trafficking in the VRAEM and throughout the national territory. We will not allow more deaths, nor more violence, we want peace“, expressed the President during the funeral ceremony of the policemen.
“In sense I fully support the Peruvian police and the Armed Forces as a whole to continue that task”, he concluded.
Boluarte also maintained at the ceremony, which was attended by relatives of the dead police officers, that his government will continue working for the “well-being” of the population and expressed his rejection to “any act of violence that seeks to take our liveshealth, integrity and the right to peace”.
What is VRAEM?
The VRAEM is a large mountainous region in Peru where 75% of the country’s cocaine is produced and the security forces repeatedly carry out operations against the Maoists of Sendero Luminosowho according to the police act as “bodyguards” for drug traffickers.
in the last 20 years the fight against drug trafficking unleashed a war between the Armed Forces and Shining Path that left 69,000 dead or disappeared, according to official figures. According to the United Nations, Peru is one of the main cocaine producers in the world after Colombia.
Political and social crisis in Peru
The attack on police officers occurs in a social context of intense crisis after the dismissal of Pedro Castillo on December 7 and since then, there massive protests against the current president, Dina Boluarte. Protesters they ask for his resignation, the closure of Congress and advance the elections. Since the beginning of the protests, 60 deaths have already been recorded, including a policeman.
Source: Ambito
