Peru opens tourist hub airport amid anti-Boluarte protests

Operations resume at Cusco airport which handles second-most air traffic in the Andean country.

Cusco is the former capital of the Inca empire and the gateway city to the jewel of Peruvian tourism: the ancient Inca citadel Machu Picchu.
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Cusco is the former capital of the Inca empire and the gateway city to the jewel of Peruvian tourism: the ancient Inca citadel Machu Picchu.

The airport in Cusco, the gateway to the famed Machu Picchu site in southern Peru, has reopened after being shuttered over a flare-up in weeks-long protests that have killed dozens.

The reopening on Saturday came after authorities on Thursday suspended operations as a preventative measures at the airport, which handles the second-most air traffic in the country, after demonstrators tried to reach the transportation hub.

In December, it suspended operations for five days.

Supporters of ousted president Pedro Castillo have marched and barricaded streets around the South American country since December, demanding new elections and the removal of current leader Dina Boluarte.

The countrywide demonstrations have at times turned violent and at least 42 people have been killed in clashes with security forces.

The number of protest roadblocks in Peru meanwhile climbed on Saturday to 100, with blockages particularly concentrated around Lima, transport authorities said.

READ MORE: Peru protesters clash with police in airport takeover bid

'I will not resign'

Boluarte on Friday apologised for protest deaths but deflected taking responsibility, saying bad actors had pushed citizens into "confrontations" and that she had requested authorities investigate.

She also rejected protesters demand that she step down, saying "I will not resign. My commitment is with Peru."

On Tuesday, Peru's prosecutor's office said it was opening a "genocide" investigation against Boluarte and other top officials as a result of the deaths.

Boluarte took over on December 7 as the South American country's first woman president following the impeachment and arrest of Castillo after he tried to dissolve Congress and rule by decree.

READ MORE: Peru's Boluarte rejects calls to resign but apologises for protest deaths

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