Peru declares 30-day emergency for Lima and Callao with military aid

Peru’s interim president, José Jerí, declared a 30-day state of emergency for Metropolitan Lima and the neighboring port of Callao on Tuesday, saying the measure is intended to curb escalating violence that helped topple his predecessor. The decree, approved by the Council of Ministers, takes effect at midnight Wednesday and authorizes the deployment of the military to assist police and the temporary restriction of certain constitutional rights, including limits on freedom of assembly and movement, Jerí said in a televised address.

Jerí framed the move as the first major step of his administration to confront a spiraling security crisis. "Wars are won with actions, not words," he said, adding that his government would shift its approach "from defence to offence" against organised crime. The government later published a formal decree declaring the emergency but did not specify operational details for intelligence gathering or how deployment plans would be implemented.

Peru has seen an uptick in homicides, extortion and attacks on public spaces in recent years. Police figures show 1,690 homicides reported between January and September, compared with 1,502 during the same period in...