Ten civilians and six soldiers were injured in a clash between security forces and protesters opposed to President Dina Boluarte who gathered in the Peruvian region of Puno on Saturday, authorities said.
Hundreds of indigenous people demonstrated Saturday in the town of Juli, located 1,400 km southeast of the capital, to demand the resignation of the Peruvian leader, who succeeded President Pedro Castillo almost three months ago. ousted by Congress after an attempted coup.
A police station was also set on fire during the clash, authorities said.
The office of the mediator called for calm on Twitter and to no longer resort to violence, while five injured were already identified.
A burnt down police station
The clashes erupted when the security forces, made up of police and soldiers, used their firearms to disperse the demonstrators.
A police station was set on fire in the aftermath, according to images posted on social networks.
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The injured were admitted to the Rafael Ortiz Ravines Hospital in Juli, according to Chucuito province officials, who did not give details of their condition.
The Peruvian National Police said in a statement that "
unidentified persons attacked the buildings of the Juli police station in the Puno region (...) We ask for the respect of the population and condemn the acts of violence that endanger the citizens
".
According to a local television station, the police station was empty at the time of the firebomb attack.
Peru is embroiled in a serious political and social crisis that erupted on December 7 with the ousting and imprisonment of former left-wing president Pedro Castillo, replaced by his vice-president Dina Boluarte.