Text: Ingrid Sanchez
Photos: Candy Sotomayor
According to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), the eye of the hurricane is a relatively calm area with spiral-shaped cloud bands with strong rain activity that converge towards its center in a cyclonic manner. The meteorological description also works to understand the current political situation in Ayacucho, the center of last month's protest that has now entered a period of tension but relative calm with storms around it.
On December 2, the Front for the Defense of the People of Ayacucho (FREDEPA), the main and largest organization in the region, agreed to join the mobilization that has been called for January 4 with a demonstration that will take place on the afternoon of next Wednesday.
This is in contrast to the decision of the Macrosur Assembly, which was made up of the Puno region and some sectors of Arequipa, Tacna, Moquegua, Madre de Dios, Ica, Cusco and Apurímac, and which is currently calling for a total strike throughout the country.
The discussion, tense at times, included leaders of mass organizations in the region, such as sectors of transporters, teachers and some merchants who were opposed to the strike, and people who came individually to argue in favor of the strike.
The heated spirits, the demands of the bases to the government of Dina Boluarte and the sombre looks of the relatives of the victims of the repression of December 15 that left 10 people dead, were the common denominator of an assembly that was open but that, according to the Executive Committee of FREDEPA, had "ternas", as they colloquially call the plainclothes police officers who infiltrate the mobilizations or meetings to carry out intelligence work.
"We know that there are groups of three here, but we tell them to stay calm, not to cause any disorder, and not to take photos or record anything. If we discover that they are doing this or causing any disorder, we will evict them," said the president of FREDEPA, Rocío Leandro Melgar, firmly, shortly before the assembly began.
Tension has been growing in recent days as the end of the truce that the social mobilization agreed for the December holidays approaches. The decision to stop the demonstrations was not the result of tiredness or exhaustion but rather the consideration of recomposing the situation: attending to the wounded, organizing the families of the dead and recovering economically because in Ayacucho, around 70 percent of the population is dedicated to commerce and services, according to FREDEPA itself.
The entire country has had its eyes on Ayacucho due to the importance of the strike in the region on December 15, when hundreds of people went out to demonstrate in the Plaza Mayor and later went to the airport to try to block the departure of soldiers who were heading to other regions in southern Peru. The demonstration ended with the military chasing the protesters even among the surrounding neighborhoods where even today it is possible to see the holes left by bullets in the walls.
In this context, and according to statements by Leandro Melgar himself, the regions of Apurímac, Cusco, Puno and Arequipa anxiously awaited the resolution of Ayacucho in relation to the strike of January 4. In addition, a national assembly of regions has been called in Lima for January 7, where the discussion will continue on the path that the mobilization should take.
"Of the 17 leaders, comrades, only 3 have proposed a strike, only 3. If we do not have the participation and approval of the transport workers, of the market workers, we will not guarantee a proper strike. That is illusory, comrades, we cannot guarantee it and it would be irresponsible. We must be objective," argued the vice president of FREDEPA, Estefany Alanya.
The decision not to join the strike on January 4 but to call for a mobilization in the afternoon was accepted with sighs of relief by the union leaders who announced that they would not be able to join the strike. The measure responds to a desire on the part of the leaders and the Executive Committee of FREDEPA to accumulate forces before launching into a decision such as an indefinite strike.
However, independent activists and small groups expressed their outrage at the decision.
"We do not agree with the decision because Ayacucho will be left behind, but we will work to ensure that the mobilization is strong on Wednesday," said a teacher from the United Union of Education Workers (SUTE) of Ayacucho.
The demands for calling for a national demonstration are still diverse and with different levels of support, but they are grouped around a certain common agenda: the call for a Constituent Assembly to draft a new Constitution, the departure of all congressmen and the advancement of elections to 2023. There are also sectors that continue to demand the departure of the government of Dina Boluarte and the freedom of Pedro Castillo.
With tension, uncertainty and expectation, the country looks towards the south of Peru: in the mountains and in the jungle, stormy clouds of discontent are brewing.
This note was made with the support of the organization Global Exchange in collaboration with Peninsula 360 Press.
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