Peru’s New Government Confronts Sweeping Unrest

Welcome to today’s Morning Brief, where we’re looking at Peru’s political turmoil, world leaders’ pledge of more than $1 billion in aid to Ukraine, and clashes along the disputed India-China border.

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Peru has been embroiled in violent unrest in the wake of former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo’s failed self-coup, fueling widespread uncertainty and throwing the country deeper into political turmoil.

Castillo had been facing an impeachment vote last Wednesday when he made a brazen attempt to seize power by dissolving Congress and creating an emergency government. It quickly backfired when lawmakers instead ousted him from power, and he ended the day behind bars. 

With Castillo out, Peru is now on its sixth leader since 2016: Dina Boluarte, a leftist politician who had been Castillo’s vice president and is now the country’s first female leader. “I ask for time to rescue our country from corruption and incompetence,” she said.

But support for Castillo can run deep—especially in rural regions—and the left-wing leaders of Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, and Argentina have also publicly backed him. Since he was ousted, his supporters have raged across the country, with many demanding that Boluarte step down and call new elections. 

In Arequipa, around 2,000 people charged an international airport and torched vehicles; in Andahuaylas, protesters attempted to seize control of another airport. At least six protesters have been killed in clashes with police, including teenagers, and Boluarte has declared a state of emergency in several regions.

On Monday, Amnesty International warned authorities against turning to “excessive force” to quell the unrest. “State repression against protesters is only deepening the crisis in Peru,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, the group’s Americas director. “The authorities must put an end to the excessive use of force against demonstrations and guarantee the right to peaceful protest, using the legal and proportional means necessary to restore citizen security.” 

For now, Castillo only appears to be adding fuel to the fire, referring to his successor as a “usurper” and insisting that he has been “unjustly and arbitrarily detained.” “I will never renounce or abandon this popular cause that has brought me here,” he declared.

To pacify protesters, Boluarte has suggested holding early elections in 2024, two years earlier than originally set. On Tuesday, officials said Peru’s armed forces will now also oversee the “protection” of the country’s infrastructure, Reuters reported. 

Ramped up Ukraine aid. World leaders have vowed to swiftly send Ukraine more than $1.05 billion in aid at a conference hosted by France. Roughly $442 million in the package will go to repairing Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which has been battered by Russia’s continuous missile strikes. Almost half of Ukrainian energy infrastructure has been knocked out, according to Kyiv, leaving millions of people facing power outages during the brutal winter. 

Moscow “has chosen a cynical strategy, aiming to destroy civilian infrastructure in order to put Ukraine on its knees,” French President Emmanuel Macron said. He also described the aid announcement as “tangible proof Ukraine is not alone.”

India-China border tensions. Tensions along the contested Indian-Chinese border escalated last week when both countries’ forces clashed on Friday, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh announced on Tuesday. It would mark the first skirmish along the border since 2020. Both Indian and Chinese soldiers sustained minor wounds, Singh said.

Ramaphosa escapes impeachment hearing. South African lawmakers have decided against moving forward with impeachment hearings against President Cyril Ramaphosa in a 214 to 148 vote, days after his ruling African National Congress (ANC) party publicly backed him. Ramaphosa’s political future had originally been threatened after an independent panel report found he potentially broke the law over the so-called Farmgate scandal. The ANC will begin its leadership conference—where Ramaphosa is seeking to be reelected as party leader—on Friday.

Congo’s deadly floods. Severe flooding and resulting landslides killed at least 100 people on Tuesday in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Officials said the floods struck 24 neighborhoods in the capital, Kinshasa, potentially impacting up to 12 million residents, The Associated Press reported. “We came to assess the damage, and the primary damage we see is human,” said Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde.

• U.S. Plans for a Hypothetical War Limit Aid to a Real One by Jack Detsch 

• Don’t Be Afraid of a Russian Collapse by Kristi Raik

• India’s Maddening Russia Policy Isn’t as Bad as Washington Thinks by Derek Grossman

Demand for Santa Clauses may have skyrocketed ahead of Christmas, but there aren’t enough plump, jolly Santas to go around—leaving holiday entertainer staffing agencies scrambling to meet overflowing requests, NPR reported. 

“We are turning down more events this year than we’ve ever turned down before,” Mitch Allen, the founder of HireSanta.com, told NPR. “There’s definitely a shortage of Santas.”