International

Peru declares state of emergency as ousted leader remains in prison

Photo: Diego Ramos / AFP

| By AFP | Luis Jaime Cisneros and Patrick Fort |

Peru declared a nationwide state of emergency Wednesday amid violent protests against the ouster of ex-president Pedro Castillo that have left seven people dead.

The announcement came as a judge ordered Castillo to remain in prison, on charges of rebellion and conspiracy for another 48 hours ahead of a release hearing.

Castillo’s arrest last week after he tried to dissolve congress and rule by decree has sparked days of nationwide protests that quickly escalated into violence.

Defense Minister Alberto Otarola announced the new 30-day state of emergency due to “acts of vandalism and violence, road blocks.”

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

He said the measure involved “the suspension of the freedom of movement and assembly” and could also include a night-time curfew.

The new president, Dina Boluarte, again moved to ease tensions by calling for elections to be brought forward, this time to December 2023.

On Sunday, Boluarte had already said she would seek to advance elections from 2026 to 2024 but that did not appease Castillo supporters demanding his release and elections now.

Last week, a judge ordered Castillo to be held for seven days, and he was meant to be released on Wednesday.

However, prosecutors filed a request late on Tuesday to hold him in pre-trial detention for 18 months.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Judge Juan Checkley on Wednesday postponed a hearing on the new request until Thursday after defense attorneys argued they had not received all documents from the public prosecutor.

He also ordered Castillo to remain in detention for another 48 hours.

Castillo, a leftist former school teacher, was in power for only 17 months in the South American nation that is prone to political instability and is now on its sixth president in six years.

His short period in office was marked by a power struggle with the opposition-dominated Congress, and six investigations into him and his family mainly for corruption.

‘Serious social convulsion’

Castillo was facing his third impeachment bid when, last Wednesday, he announced he was dissolving Congress and would rule by decree.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

But lawmakers went ahead and voted to sack him and he was quickly arrested while trying to flee to the Mexican Embassy and seek asylum.

Boluarte, who was Castillo’s vice president, was sworn in as his successor.

Her attempts to calm tensions have failed, including an earlier state of emergency in several flashpoint regions.

Boluarte has now twice proposed advancing elections.

“Legally it works for April 2024 but by making some adjustments we can bring them forward to December 2023,” she told reporters.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Rights ombudsman Eliana Revollar told AFP on Tuesday that things could still get worse.

“This is a very serious social convulsion. We fear that it will lead to an uprising because there are people calling for an insurrection, who are asking to take up arms,” said Revollar.

Five people were killed in clashes between protesters and security forces on Monday following another two on Sunday.

Six of the seven deaths have been in the Apurimac region, where Boluarte was born.

‘I will never give up’

Castillo also appeared in court on Tuesday by video link as he appealed his initial seven-day detention.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

He called his arrest unjust and arbitrary and said he would “never give up and abandon this popular cause that brought me here.”

He also called on security forces “to lay down their arms and stop killing these people thirsty for justice.”

Protests by Castillo supporters began almost immediately after his arrest.

Mexico’s leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who said his country still recognizes Castillo as president, has joined other regional leftist leaders in pledging support for the ousted leader.

Protesters have set up road blocks in numerous regions.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

The worst-hit areas are in the north and south, including the region of Cusco, a tourism lure that is home to the Machu Picchu Inca citadel, and Peru’s second city, Arequipa.

In Lima, dozens of demonstrators threw stones at the police on Tuesday evening as they tried to reach Congress, with the police firing tear gas to disperse them.

Indigenous and agrarian organizations called an indefinite strike to begin on Tuesday, forcing the train service between the city of Cusco and Machu Picchu to be suspended.

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”