Peru Protesters Tear-Gassed After President Calls for Truce

LIMA, Peru (AP) Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Peru's capital and were met with volleys of tear gas and pellets amid clashes with security forces just hours after President Dina Boluarte called for a truce in almost two months of protests.

The antigovernment protest Tuesday was the largest and most violent since last Thursday, when large groups of people, many from remote Andean regions, descended on the capital to demand Boluartes resignation, immediate elections and the dissolution of Congress.

We cant have a truce when she doesnt tell the truth, Blanca Espaa Mesa, 48, said of Peru's president. Even though her eyes were watering from the tear gas, Espaa Mesa said she was happy because a lot of people came today. Its as if people have woken up.

Before last week, most of the large antigovernment protests that followed the ouster of President Pedro Castillo took place in remote regions of Peru, largely in the countrys south, exposing deep division between residents of the capital and the long-neglected countryside.