Thousands of Farmers Continue Advancing Towards Lima

"My parents told me not to travel, but the country needs us. We must go out and protest... we are not vandals," said Josue Marocho, president of the Cusco Youth Assembly.

During the early hours of Tuesday, thousands of Peruvians were heading towards Lima to participate in the “March of the Four Nations” (La Marcha de Los Cuatro Suyos) and demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte.

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Telesur correspondent Jaime Herrera reported that farmers travel by truck from Apurimac, a region where the indefinite strike completed 14 consecutive days. They demand the release of former President Pedro Castillo, who was removed by Congress on Dec. 7, 2022.

From the city of Cusco, dozens of farmers traveling in buses and trucks also left for Lima to demand immediate general elections and the calling of a Constituent Assembly.

"What motivates us the most is how they have silenced us by calling us 'a tiny group'... My parents told me not to travel, but the country needs us. We must go out and protest... we are not vandals. Drug trafficking does not help us. We are financed by the people who support this fair measure," said Josue Marocho, president of the Cusco Youth Assembly. 

In Humay, the police blocked the passage of a caravan of vehicles that was taking people from Andahuaylas to Lima. Four drivers were arrested for not having their "IDs in order." The Ombudsman's Office, however, asked the police to allow the passage of trucks.

The tweet reads, "Peru lives a day of protests called by Andean Indigenous peoples. Thousands of Peruvians are moving along the roads towards the capital, Lima, to carry out the "March of the Four Nations", a mobilization demanding justice that comes from all country's corners."

On Saturday, Boluarte extended the 30-day state of emergency in Lima, Cusco, Callao, and Puno, authorizing the military to contain the massive protests. She also extended the curfew from 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. in the Puno region for 10 days.

Since Dec. 7, the brutality of the repression has left some 47 dead, over 500 people injured, and some 300 citizens arrested, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

The first march of the "Cuatro Suyos" took place in 2000 when thousands of people headed towards Lima from all regions of the country to protest against the fraudulent third re-election of Alberto Fujimori.

In the Peruvian Quechua language, "Suyo" means nation and refers to the administrative divisions used at the time of the Inca empire. The current evocation of the "Suyos " is a symbol expressing the strength of the Indigenous peoples against the oppression.