As anger erupted over the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, protesters clashed with police in Asunción, the capital of Paraguay, spreading to the streets, forcing the health minister to resign.
Late Friday, security forces fired rubber bullets and tear gas at hundreds of demonstrators who gathered around the Congress building in the city center of Asunción, while demonstrators removed security barriers, burned roadblocks, and threw stones at police.
#Paraguay 2021 pic.twitter.com/te3Y88H1xW
— Carlos Montero (@CMonteroOficial) March 6, 2021
The riots erupted amid growing public anger, after infections with the Coronavirus reached record levels, and hospitals neared collapsing throughout the South American country.
The riots turned the historic center of the capital into a battlefield of fires, smoke and bullets.
On Friday, Health Minister Julio Mazzolini resigned, a day after MPs called for his dismissal.
Nice. Police flee angry protesters in #Paraguay.
Video via @Argento1971pic.twitter.com/GBVvMdXUoy
— Persona (@PersonalEscrito) March 6, 2021
Mazolini is the latest official to be forced to resign in Latin America in recent weeks, amid growing anger over the response to the pandemic and the slow spread of vaccinations.
Paraguay records record numbers of cases every day, with 115 cases per 100,000 people recorded in the past seven days.
ESTO ÉRA ANTES DE QUE PASE TODO EL KILOMBO,LA UNIÓN DE LA GENTE EN SU MÁXIMO ESPLENDOR#EstoyParaElMarzoParaguayo2021 #RENUNCIAMARITO #ParaguayPuede #Paraguaydelagente pic.twitter.com/tVWJQIBdFm
— Durles ⁷🇵🇾 (@hw_wtbs) March 6, 2021
Source: Reuters
Comments are closed.