Paraguayan police broke up a demonstration and arrested a dozen protesters on their way to the president’s house

Police forces dispersed after midnight on Saturday a group of people gathered in front of the presidential residence and attempted to go through the perimeter security fence, in an area where the U.S. Embassy is located, and within the framework of the demonstrations which demand the resignation of President Mario Abdo Benítez.

The national police, with the riot police, They responded with rubber pellets and gas and made a dozen arrests., as informed to the journalists spokesperson of the police.

The group had traveled to the presidential residence to demand the president’s resignation after another massive protest ended in the micro-center of Asuncion. with the same claim and denounced the lack of drugs in hospitals and government management of the pandemic.

The group that tried to approach Mburuvicha Roga, the name of the president’s official residence, had requested to meet with Home Secretary Arnaldo Giuzzio, and when he did not show up, they tried to cross the perimeter barrier, said one of its leaders. the media.

According to the police, The demonstrators threw stones and firecrackers near the residence, then withdrew due to the intervention of the security forces.

Police reported that the situation is tense and that security fences have been tightened and traffic has been cut off on adjacent avenues.

The incident occurred after the large demonstration in the historic center of the capital, which called for the departure of Abdo Benítez, of the conservative party of Colorado.

And a day after the concentration in front of the Congress building which was repressed by the police, which was followed by clashes which left about twenty injured.

During the Saturday afternoon walk Abdo Benítez announced in a televised message the renewal of four of his ministers, including that of health (interim) and education, “for the sake of pacification”.

The current situation arose earlier this week with protests from nurses and relatives of Covid patients who denounced the lack of supplies in the public health network, one of the most backward in the region.

This was followed on Friday by the resignation of Health Minister Julio Mazzoleni, who did not prevent the demonstration in the afternoon and evening on Saturday.

The South American country has recorded some 3,200 deaths and more than 160,000 cases of the coronavirus and a steady increase in recent weeks as the healthcare system has collapsed.

(With information from EFE)

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