Agrarian strike: Protesters assault nurse trying to reach Ayacucho Regional Hospital

In different regions of Peru, various farmers' associations have observed a 24-hour strike in protest against the halt price of fertilizers, the cost of living, among other claims.

Thus, since midnight, the main roads to access Puno, Áncash, Ayacucho, Satipo, Arequipa and Ayacucho have been blocked, which has generated several attacks on the part of demonstrators in the agrarian strike against citizens who tried to travel on these roads.

In this sense, it was reported that a nurse was whipped for trying to get to her workplace at the Regional Hospital of Ayacucho. It is presumed that the person responsible for the grievance would be one of the protesters.

Faced with this, the Office of the Ombudsman spoke out to regret the actions taken by some unions and to demand the immediate capture of the aggressor by the Peruvian National Police.

He also reported that patients, who were on their way to the hospital to receive their dialysis treatment, were also violated by protesters.

“In the face of assault on health personnel of the Regional Hospital, by #ParoAgrario protesters, we demand immediate arrest of those responsible. Patients for dialysis and/or treatment were assaulted and are unable to return home,” the Ombudsman's Twitter account reads.

“We demand that the Public Prosecutor intervene immediately to ensure that health services do not stop responding as a result of the protests. We regret that agrarian leaders have not complied with the agreements made to ensure a peaceful protest free of violence,” he said.

WHAT DO FARMERS DEMAND?

Among the specific demands of farmers in each region, the Pedro Castillo government is required to guarantee the availability of fertilizers for their guild, as they requested weeks ago in Huancayo.

According to their claims, the high price of this, due to the global situation, may end up affecting production and with it the food supply at the national level.

“Last year, November 30, we worked a fund of S/120 million soles to subsidize the purchase of fertilizers, which was going to secure the six-month campaign. It has been more than 4 months and there is absolutely nothing,” said Clímaco Cardenas, president of Conveagro.

He also referred to the Second Agrarian Reform, proposed by Pedro Castillo, which also aroused discontent among farmers in Cusco, who staged a two-day strike in the region and paralyzed tourism. Currently, a dialogue table is being built in the region, if they do not receive a satisfactory response they will resume the force measure on Tuesday, April 26.

“We have sat down with officials from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, with MIDAGRI officials, management has changed, they present a Second Agrarian Reform Act that doesn't make any sense. These are the decisions that (they are having and do not give) a solution to what farmers are claiming in the coast, mountains and jungle. We need fertilizers,” Cardenas said.

Similarly, he referred to the budget allocated for the sector, which he said represents 0.07% of GDP. The guilds would be asking for it to rise to 3%. It should be noted that some of the demonstrators have also been recorded to demand the closure of the Congress of the Republic and demand a new Constitution.

KEEP READING