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A30 world news
Diahuebs 14 aPRiL 2022

Facing hunger, Peru’s poor band together with ‘common pots’

(AP) — Every day for
more than two years, Cin- Castillo, a rural teacher be-
dy Cueto has woken up in fore winning election, has
the house she shares with changed his Cabinet four
her three children atop a times during just nine
desert hill in Peru’s capi- months in office and been
tal, and wondered: “What criticized for appointing in-
are we going to eat?” experienced allies and neo-
phytes to key ministries. Pe-
The 39-year-old bands to- ru’s unicameral congress has
gether with her neighbors twice tried to remove him
in impoverished Ciudad de from office.
Gosen each day to cook up
a “common pot” of food, a Surveys by Peru’s major poll-
survival strategy that surfaced ing companies show about
in Lima’s sprawling shan- three quarters of Peruvians
tytowns with the coronavi- disapproving of his perfor-
rus pandemic. It has since mance as president, and 79%
expanded to ameliorate the disapproving of congress.
impacts of the rising prices
of food, fuel and fertilizer “They don’t care about peo-
due to global inflation, the ple, they fight all the time for
war in Ukraine and a govern- their interests,” said Enedina
ment ineffective in keeping Avilés, 66, who lives alone a
its promise to help the most few steps from the common
vulnerable. pot.

The common pot, compa- er days since January — the Castillo’s government, have Ciudad de Gosen residents To control the social unrest,
rable to a small-scale soup common pot was empty be- unleashed violent protests say the price of cooking gas protests and road blockades
kitchen, provides them one cause they failed to raise any that have caused five deaths has tripled since the start of that have hit the Andean
meal a day. Cueto and her money. A day later, after col- and led to calls for Castillo the pandemic. Cueto and her country in recent weeks, the
neighbors try to track down lecting the equivalent of $16, and Peru’s legislators to re- neighbors feed the fire under government has prohibited
the cheapest food in the they bought two kilos (4 1/2 sign. their common pot with wood protests on major highways
markets, buying cow bones, pounds) of chicken bones, scraps they are given twice a for 30 days. It has also lifted a
chicken offal, rice and po- five kilos of potatoes and the According to government month as charity from a car- fuel tax, but people complain
tatoes. They keep their eyes same amount of rice to feed data from February, there are penter’s shop. that prices remain high.
open for any charity from 70 people, especially children at least 3,400 common pots in
more fortunate Peruvians. and the elderly. Peru, 70% of them in Lima. Trinidad Espinoza, a local On April 5, authorities brief-
Most are in shantytowns like cooking gas vendor, said even ly ordered Lima’s 10 mil-
“We don’t buy meat. It’s The inflation sweeping the Ciudad de Gosen, where she uses firewood. lion residents to stay in their
very expensive, we only world has hit Peru’s 33 mil- there is no running water, homes and shut down public
have enough for bones to lion inhabitants hard, espe- electricity is scarce and resi- “I can’t even afford a canister transport in a lockdown rem-
make soup,” Cueto, whose cially the 10 million poor dents have built their own myself,” she said. iniscent of the coronavirus
husband works as a security people who live on $3 a day. houses and roads in the dusty pandemic. A Lima lawmaker
guard, said as she counted Monthly inflation in March earth of the desert hills sur- The response by Peru’s gov- angered many when he jus-
her coins. “The money goes reached 1.48%, the high- rounding Lima. Neglected ernment to rising hunger and tified the 22-hour lockdown
like this,” she said, snapping est in a quarter of a century. by the government, they now spreading unrest has been in- by calling those living in the
her fingers. Soaring prices for food and have had to organize their effective, this despite coming impoverished hills surround-
fuel, combined with the in- own food supply. to office on promises to pri- ing Lima “looters.”
On Monday — like 15 oth- efficiency of President Pedro oritize the poor.

France’s Le Pen warns against sending weapons to Ukraine

(AP) — French far-right ing any more weapons to Moscow’s war in Ukraine as the U.S. and Europe seek sent 100 million euros ($109
presidential candidate Ukraine, and called for a winds down. to support Ukraine and end million) worth of weapons
Marine Le Pen warned rapprochement between Russia’s ruinous war on its to Ukraine in recent weeks
Wednesday against send- NATO and Russia once Le Pen, an outspoken nation- neighbor. as part of a flow of Western
alist who has long ties to Rus- arms.
sia, also confirmed that if she Asked about military aid to
unseats President Emmanuel Ukraine, Le Pen said she Earlier in his term, Macron
Macron in France’s April 24 would continue defense and had tried to reach out to Rus-
presidential runoff, she will intelligence support. sian President Vladimir Putin
pull France out of NATO’s to improve Russia’s relations
military command and dial “(But) I’m more reserved with the West, and Macron
back French support for the about direct arms deliveries. met with Putin weeks before
whole European Union. Why? Because ... the line is the Russian invasion in an
thin between aid and becom- unsuccessful effort to pre-
Macron, a pro-EU centrist, is ing a co-belligerent,” the far- vent it. Since then, however,
facing a harder-than-expect- right leader said, citing con- France has supported EU
ed fight to stay in power, in cerns about an “escalation of sanctions against Moscow
part because the economic this conflict that could bring and has offered sustained
impact of the war is hitting a whole number of countries support to Ukraine.
poor households the hard- into a military commitment.”
est. France’s European part- Le Pen also said France
ners are worried that a pos- Earlier Wednesday, French should strike a more inde-
sible Le Pen presidency could government spokesman Ga- pendent path from the U.S.-
undermine Western unity briel Attal said France had led NATO military alliance.