Peru’s interior minister summoned to Congress over crime surge
In Peru, the Chamber of Deputies voted to summon Interior Minister César Astudillo to Congress over a surge in crime. The decision was supported by 66 lawmakers, while 51 voted against it and one abstained. The minister must appear at a plenary session on September 17 and answer 27 questions, The Rio Times reports.
The motion for interpellation was prompted by the kidnapping of a mining entrepreneur in the city of Trujillo, La Libertad region. According to the publication, four of his companions were killed during the incident. The motion also mentions extortion networks and illegal gold mining. Four questions for Astudillo concern the work of the national police chief, who announced his resignation during the period under review by lawmakers.
President Keiko Fujimori, who took office on July 28 after winning the 2026 general election, publicly questioned the appropriateness of the interpellation two weeks after the minister began work. The lawmaker who initiated the procedure said weak leadership harms public trust. In the first weeks of the government’s work, parliamentarians filed at least 14 requests for explanations from Fujimori’s ministers, and nine had already been summoned to Congress.
Risk of an extreme El Niño
Peru’s National Forecasting Committee estimated the probability of an extreme El Niño at 62% between September 2026 and January 2027. A 60-day state of emergency covers 893 districts in 22 regions of the country. The president said there was a need to clear riverbeds, reinforce bridges and protect riverbanks.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
The central bank governor warned that economic losses from the weather phenomenon could exceed current estimates. According to him, fiscal reserves are already at their lowest level in 25 years. According to a survey, 85% of Peruvians have changed their usual evening routes or activities because of fear of crime or extortion.
Events in other Andean countries
In Ecuador, authorities imposed a nighttime curfew in four coastal provinces, citing increasing danger. Ecuador’s human rights committee said U.S. strikes on vessels at sea affected 143 Ecuadorian fishermen, while at least nine vessels were destroyed. These are the committee’s data, not the government’s.
In Bolivia, the Chamber of Deputies’ Justice Committee supported a bill to extend the nationwide state of emergency for another 90 days. The extension has not yet taken effect: it must be considered by the full chamber and then by both houses of parliament at a joint session. In Colombia, the MSCI Colcap index reached a record 2,626 points, while a court in Putumayo Department suspended a government pilot project for aerial coca spraying.
