2009 protest movement by indigenous Peruvians against state-sponsored oil drilling
The 2009 Peruvian political crisis marked Peru's deadliest political violence in years, forcing repeal of Amazon oil-development laws and the resignation of the prime minister.
Key Facts
- Police deaths
- 23
- Native/civilian deaths
- 10
- Native wounded
- more than 150
- Protest start date
- 9 April 2009
- State of emergency declared
- June 2009
- Leading organisation
- AIDESEP
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Peruvian government passed regulations granting companies access to the Amazon for oil and resource development. Indigenous communities, led by AIDESEP, opposed these laws for over a year through declared advocacy, arguing the legislation threatened their lands and livelihoods without adequate consultation.
From 9 April 2009, indigenous Peruvians staged protests and acts of civil disobedience across the Amazon region. In June, President Alan García's government suspended civil liberties, declared a state of emergency, and deployed the military. The resulting confrontations, known as the Baguazo, lasted two days and left 23 police and 10 natives or civilians dead, with over 150 indigenous people wounded.
Prime Minister Yehude Simon resigned following the violence. Congress repealed the laws that had triggered the protests, representing a significant policy reversal. The crisis was widely characterised as the gravest episode of political violence in Peru in years and the most serious crisis of García's presidency.