(Bloomberg) -- At least 17 people died in Peru in the Andean city of Juliaca on Monday during clashes with law enforcement, the Ombudsman’s office said.

The death toll is the highest in a single day since President Dina Boluarte took office on Dec. 7. Officials said about 9,000 protesters had tried to take control of Juliaca’s airport, which they said remains closed and under government control.

Another person died due to events related to road blockades, the Ombudsman office said. Protests have also left 75 police officers injured, according to Defense Minister Jorge Chavez. Some roadblocks were still in place Monday night.

Prime Minister Alberto Otarola said in a press conference Monday night that “foreign interests” and “drug traffickers” were behind the unrest, without providing evidence, and compared the protests to a war situation. Otarola is scheduled to ask Congress for a confidence vote on Tuesday, a key test for Boluarte’s fledgling administration.

Overall, 39 civilians have died in anti-government protests since Boluarte took over, after former President Pedro Castillo was ousted for trying to illegally shut down Congress, which triggered demonstrations in the rural south.

 

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