At least 14 people were killed in Peru before the presidential election Peru News

A deadly attack in a remote region of Peru known for coca production occurred two weeks before the second round of the presidency.

At least 14 people have been killed, including two children, in a remote region of Peru known for coca production, the military said Monday, before voters went to the polls for the second presidential election.

Peruvian police chief César Cervantes told local TV channel N that at least 18 people had been killed, and the military said in a note that there were 14 victims.

“I strongly condemn the killings of these 14 people,” said Peru’s interim president Francisco Sagasti he tweeted on Monday, he ordered army and police patrols in the area to “prevent this terrorist act from going unpunished.”

The killings took place in a community in Bizcatan de Ene, an area of ​​the Peruvian Amazon, where authorities believe the bright path he fought against the government in the 1980s and 1990s is used as a hideout by movement remnants.

According to authorities, 75% of cocaine is produced in the South American country in the Valle de los Rios Apurimac, Ene y Mantaro (VRAEM) mountain range. Police accuse Shining Path of acting as a “bodyguard” for drug traffickers.

“There are likely to be more deaths,” Cervantes told RPP radio on Monday.

The military has blamed Shining Path for the killings, saying it was an “act of genocide.” But his statement also assured Peruvians of a “safe electoral process.”

The United Nations condemned the “murder” and expressed solidarity with the victims and their families.

“As part of the ongoing election process, we call on all actors to act responsibly, avoiding hate speech that exacerbates tensions,” the UN office in Lima said in a statement.

Peru expects the election to take place in less than two weeks, with left-wing leader Pedro Castillo pitting Keiko Fujimori against the right.

Castillo is gaining a seat ahead of the June 6 vote on Fujimori, which garnered 44.8 percent support in a poll released by the Peruvian Research Institute (IEP) on Sunday, compared to Fujimori’s 34.4 percent.

But many Peruvians pointed it out frustration and fatigue before the first round of voting, which saw Castillo and Fujimori win 19 percent and 13 percent, respectively, as the country has experienced political instability over the years.

It has also been Peru hit hard COVID-19 and the decline in the coronavirus-related economy.

On Saturday, protesters marched in Lima and other major cities to raise banners and shout the slogan “Never again to Fujimori”.

Fujimori’s father, former President Alberto Fujimori, is in jail on charges of corruption.