Peru declared a state of emergency in Lima late Sunday in response to a surge in deadly violence tied to extortion.
The decision followed the assassination of singer Paul Flores, who was gunned down by hired assailants while travelling on a bus with his bandmates after a concert near the capital.
According to representatives, the musicians had received threats from a criminal gang demanding money before the attack.
“It has been ordered that in the coming hours, a state of emergency be decreed throughout the province of Lima and the Constitutional province of Callao,” Gustavo Adrianzen, head of the ministerial cabinet, posted on X.
Extortion is a widespread issue across Latin America, but it has reached alarming levels in Peru, partly due to the presence of criminal organizations like Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, which operates throughout the region.
Since January, local media have reported more than 400 homicides.
Last year, Peru imposed a state of emergency in parts of Lima and deployed the military to combat a wave of bus driver murders linked to extortion networks.
