On Tuesday, Peru announced a curfew in the southern Puno region in a bid to suppress violent protests, a day after 18 people were killed in clashes between demonstrators and security forces.
Prime Minister Alberto Otarola said the three day nighttime curfew would run from 8:00 pm to 4:00 am (01:00 to 09:00 GMT).
In total 40 people were killed over a month of protests, including 18 killed on Monday evening, demanding the departure of Former President Pedro Castillo.
The Puno region that borders Bolivia, home to many Aymara Indigenous people, has become the epicenter of the protest movement led Castillo supporters.
Overnight, protesters looted shops and attacked police vehicles in the region.
Most of the bloodshed there took place when protesters tried to storm the airport in Juliaca city that was being guarded by security forces.
Fourteen people were killed and many having suffered gunshot injuries, according to an official at a Juliaca hospital.
Three more people died during the ransacking of a shopping center in Juliaca while the last known victim was a police officer who the United Nations reported that he died after his vehicle was set on fire.
The government has defended the actions of the security forces in Juliaca, claiming those guarding the airport faced down an organized attempted “coup” by thousands of demonstrators.
However, UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Marta Hurtado called on authorities “to carry out prompt, impartial and effective investigations into the deaths and wounds, holding those responsible to account and ensuring victims receive access to justice and redress.”
Protests erupted a month ago when leftist Castillo, who was facing several graft investigations, was forced from the office and arrested on charges of rebellion after attempting to dissolve parliament and rule by decree.
Tension had since been mounting in the cities Puno and Juliaca where a week-long general strike has forced business to close.
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