Peru’s Congress last month, at the behest of President Pedro Castillo’s government, voted to approve the entry of US military troops for participation in several weeks of anti-drug and anti-terrorism operations. But the Aug. 4 vote was protested by voices within Castillo’s own Partido Perú Libre (PPL), with legislator Kelly Portalatino calling it a “sign of submission.” (Prensa Latina) A previous such US troop mission in 2015 saw operations in the Valley of the Apurímac and Ene Rivers (VRAE), a key coca cultivation zone. Campesinos of the VRAE Federation of Agrarian Producers (FEPAVRAE) have just announced a region-wide indefinite paro (civil strike) to begin Oct. 5 in protest of ongoing government coca-eradication campaigns. (Sputnik)
Tensions are also growing in Madre de Dios, a region deeper in the southern rainforest. On Aug. 26, two were killed and several injured as National Police troops fired on a protest against government operations against illegal gold-miners. The incident took place at La Pampa, within the buffer zone of Tambopata National Reserve, where a joint army-police outpost has been established for the anti-mining crackdown. (SPDA, InfoBae) A second such outpost was pelted with rocks by protesters and set on fire at Alto Libertad, on the Inter-Oceanic Highway. (El Comercio)
