**Peruvian Armed Forces arrive in Puno to open highways amid protests**

The Peruvian Armed Forces arrived this Thursday in the free-movement mission to the Southern Department of Puno, located on the border with Bolivia. The Joint Command, led by General Manuel Gómez de la Torre, were joined by armored vehicles from their bases in Moquegua and Tacna.

The operation is focused on clearing the highways blocked by protesters near Puno, in the Carabaya and Azángaro provinces. According to witnesses, the military removed stones, earth and rubble from the Laraqueri highway. General Gómez de la Torre noted that it was a non-time based task that aims to free the road network.

The Ombudsman’s Office reported that 46 people who joined the protests had died in clashes with security forces, plus a policeman who was burned alive in Juliaca, the most populated city in Puno. Furthermore, protesters burned down the Zepita police station, attacked the facilities of the Desaguadero and Ilave police stations, and eventually, burned the Binational Border Assistance Center (CEBAF) in Desaguadero.

These actions taken by the Peruvian Armed Forces aim to enable the free movement of people in the region while also making sure security in the area is reinforced.