Peru's leftist president ends curfew after thousands of Peruvians defiantly took to the streets in protest

Peru’s leftist President Pedro Castillo announced on Tuesday afternoon that his government was lifting a curfew order after Peruvians defiantly took to the streets to protest as the war in Ukraine continues to push fuel and fertilizer prices to record highs.  

"I must announce that from this moment on we are going to cancel the curfew order," Castillo said in a meeting with Congress. "We now call on the Peruvian people to keep calm."

The former teacher turned president issued the curfew minutes before midnight on Monday, ordering residents of the Andean nation’s capital, Lima, to stay home between 2 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. in an attempt to quell nationwide protests over rising prices, Reuters reported.

The lockdown order shocked Peruvians, who saw the curfew as a violation of their civil liberties. Instead of staying home, thousands of Peruvians – infuriated by the president’s response – took to the streets to defy the curfew, forcing the self-proclaimed socialist to backtrack on his order, ending the curfew just after 5 p.m.

Castillo’s government has scrambled to address the issue, but the protests appear to be representative of the Peruvian people’s growing discontent with the president and his party.

Although Castillo once enjoyed wide support among Peru’s rural poor, his support has evaporated in the 8 months since he took office and presently stands at about 25% nationwide. While in office, he has survived two impeachment attemptsand been forced to reshuffle his cabinet countless times.

The protests certainly won’t help, though, and government officials have stated that at least four people were killed after protesters clashed with police near the southern city of Ica.  

Castillo is also dealing with growing anger over rising inflation and food costs.

The government has repeatedly said, without providing evidence, that the curfew was necessary to avoid lootings.