Crisis Mode: Peru Declares Emergency Amid Spiking Gang Violence

Peru declared a state of emergency over the weekend in the capital, Lima, over a surge in killings linked to extortion, setting off fears that the country is facing a major gang war similar to Ecuador, Colombia, and other countries in the region, Agence France-Presse reported.

The decision applies to the provinces of Lima and Callao and came after Peruvian singer Paul Flores was shot dead while on a bus with his bandmates as they were leaving a concert outside Lima.

Representatives of the musicians said the band had been threatened by a criminal gang who tried to extort money from them before the attack.

Extortion is a widespread problem in Latin America but it has reached alarming levels in Peru, with local media reporting more than 400 murders since January perpetrated by criminal gangs.

This surge is partly due to the presence of criminal gangs like Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, which is active across different countries in Latin America. Peru is the second-largest producer of the coca plant.

Peru previously declared a state of emergency in parts of the capital last year and also the city of Trujillo, deploying the military to combat a surge in bus driver murders that were linked to criminal rackets.

Peruvian workers, including bus drivers, shop owners, and textile workers, have been protesting for months about a rise in extortion rackets, Bloomberg reported.

“We have to recognize, as we have done, that Peru is facing a crime wave not seen before,” said Interior Minister Juan José Santiváñez, who oversees the national police, in an interview with RPP radio. “It’s not just Peru, but the entire region because the reality is that criminality today is organized and transnational.”