Riots in Arequipa: 2002

Yesterday, doing research for my case study on Peru, I found out about the 2002 riots in Arequipa, now my home! Here's a good excerpt of the full report by Moises Arce:

"In mid-June 2002, the residents and local government of the city of Arequipa, Peru, fiercly opposed the sale of two state-owned electric companies, Egasa and Egasur. The popular protest turned violent, and the central government responded by imposing a state of emergency and a curfew. The popular uprising successfully derailed the privatization program, not least by triggering a cabinet shake-up and thus weakening the newly installed democratic regime of Alejandro Toledo. Arequipa's local officials and residents dreaded higher electricity prices and worker layoffs. They objected to the sale of electric companies that were profitable under state management."