Peru imposes curfew to stymie protests over rising fuel costs

Peruvian President Pedro Castillo imposed a curfew in the capital, Lima, on Tuesday, banning people from leaving their homes in an attempt to curb protests against rising fuel and fertilizer costs that have spread throughout the country, reported from Reuters. 

"The cabinet has agreed to declare a ban on the mobility of citizens from 2 a.m. through 11:59 p.m. of Tuesday, April 5, to protect the fundamental rights of all people," Castillo said in an address broadcast nationwide just before midnight.

On Monday, a wave of protests against rising fuel and fertilizer prices, triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, continued into their second week while the government scrambled to bring prices down.

The protests represent a harsh reality for the embattled presidency of leftist Pedro Castillo, a peasant farmer and school teacher who won the election last year with the overwhelming support of the rural poor.

The protests have become increasingly violent, and at least four people have been killed, the government said.

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