Machu Picchu reopens amid capital protests.

Photo of author

By Creative Media News

The Inca fortress of Machu Picchu will reopen on Wednesday, according to Peruvian officials.

The Unesco World Heritage site, which is visited daily by tens of thousands of tourists, has been closed for more than three weeks because anti-government protesters have blocked critical access routes.

Officials stated they would secure the safety of the historic monument and the roads leading to it.

Protests persist in the capital, Lima, and other southern provinces.

Peru’s economy relies on tourism, and the political crisis has cost the country more than $6 million (£5 million).

Machu picchu reopens amid capital protests.
Machu picchu reopens amid capital protests.

Train service to Machu Picchu resumed with limited service last week. They were suspended due to protesters placing rocks on the line.

While the situation near the ancient Andean refuge has improved, other areas remain badly affected.

The political crisis began on December 7 when the president at the time, Pedro Castillo, attempted to dissolve Congress before it could vote on whether to impeach him.

Congress disobeyed the president and proceeded with his impeachment, ousting Mr. Castillo from office and replacing him with his vice president, Dina Boluarte.

Initially, Ms. Boluarte stated that she would complete the presidency term begun by Mr. Castillo through July 2026. However, with violent protests sweeping the nation, she asked politicians to expedite the election.

Congress agreed to move it to April 2024, but this concession failed to stop the protests, which have turned deadly.

According to the office of Peru’s ombudsman, 60 people have been murdered in skirmishes between security forces and demonstrators since the beginning of the crisis.

President Boluarte has attempted to persuade Congress to yield to demonstrators’ demands for even sooner elections. But the highly divided legislative body has thus far resisted.

Meanwhile, discontent on the streets has been building with many demanding the immediate resignation of Ms. Boluarte and fresh elections for president and Congress this year. Some also wish to see constitutional reform.

As some of the protesters have moved to the political power center in Lima, the local government has banned gatherings in several of the city’s important squares.

On Tuesday, President Boluarte extended a state of emergency in the capital, the province of Callao. And the country’s major roadways by another 30 days.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Skip to content