Dozens of reports of Dutch people stuck in Peru amid political unrest
Dozens of Dutch people in Peru have contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs because they have run into problems due to the political unrest in that country. Most reports were made by Dutch people who could not continue their journeys for a variety of reasons, such as closed airports, the ministry reported on Thursday.
None of the people who contacted the ministry were located in Machu Picchu, the country's most famous attraction. Hundreds of tourists are stuck there because the train connection between the Inca city and the rest of the country has been shut down due to protests.
President Pedro Castillo was ousted and arrested in Peru last week after he tried to dissolve parliament to avoid impeachment. The politician is suspected of conspiracy and organizing a rebellion, as well as corruption. Since Castillo's impeachment, his supporters have protested daily. His replacement, Vice President Dina Boluarte, declared a state of emergency on Wednesday to attempt to restore the peace in that country
Dutch nationals in the South American country were advised to register with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Dutch-language information service. This way the ministry knows which Dutch people are present there, and how to reach them. The Dutch government will also use the service to send messages about the latest developments in the country. In addition, the ministry also advised Dutch tourists to register with the Peruvian Ministry of Tourism’s IPeru portal.
The Dutch ministry advised against travel to Peru. The travel advice for almost the entire country was set to Code Orange. Code Red applies to the entire Valley of the Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro rivers, known as the VRAEM region, in central Peru.
Reporting by ANP and NL Times