The violence occurred on Sunday, November 1, at the prison in Huanchaco, in the northern province of Trujillo.

During a visit to the facility on Monday, Fujimori said the confrontation was believed to have started over disagreements between criminal groups concerning the appointment of a new prison delegate.

"Yesterday there was a brawl, as the head of INPE (Peruvian National Penitentiary Institute), the regional director and the prison director have explained. It is part of this fight between gangs, which occurred, in principle, because of the appointment of the new delegate," Fujimori declared.

The president acknowledged that government efforts to tighten prison security , including blocking communication signals and strengthening perimeter surveillance, had caused resistance among some inmates.

"We also understand that taking back control of the prisons, prohibiting the entry of communication signals and enforcing strict control on the perimeter causes discomfort," she noted.

As part of the planned reforms, Fujimori instructed the Justice Minister to prepare a complete register of prisoners across the country, including their classifications.

The information will be used to determine how inmates should be redistributed among Peru's correctional facilities.

"I have asked the Justice Minister for the complete list of all inmates in all the prisons of Peru, with their respective classifications. A reordering of all inmates will be carried out nationwide," she announced.

Under the new measures, prisoners considered highly dangerous, including those convicted of murder and leaders of criminal organisations, will be transferred to Challapalca prison in the southern department of Tacna.

"I repeat, there will be a reclassification and the most dangerous criminals, the murderers, will be transferred to Challapalca," the President said.

The announcement followed Fujimori's official visit to El Salvador, where she toured the Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT) to examine the country's prison management and security approach.

Fujimori also announced plans to expand Peru's "Zero Idleness" programme by introducing additional productive workshops in prisons to encourage inmates to work and participate in rehabilitation activities.

The visit comes as Peru seeks new measures to tackle organised crime and rising extortion cases.

Fujimori and Bukele attended a welcoming ceremony before holding bilateral talks and signing agreements covering security, justice , health and tourism.

During their meeting, Bukele offered to share El Salvador's experience in tackling criminal organisations, including its prison management policies .

"That is why we have opened up not only our prison system to you, but also all our strategies and the way we have tackled crime in the past and continue to do so through the different stages our country has gone through," Bukele said.

Fujimori described El Salvador's approach as a "successful model, a very useful model", saying Peru would examine which measures could be adapted to its own security challenges.

She has also asked Peru's Congress to grant her government powers to classify certain criminal organisations as hostile or terrorist groups.

According to Fujimori, the proposed measures would allow the armed forces to take on greater responsibilities alongside the National Police.

"It will allow our armed forces to take on a stronger role alongside the National Police. And, as we saw today at CECOT, it is a confinement centre for terrorists," she said.

Peru has faced growing concerns over extortion and organised crime.

The country recorded 26,585 extortion complaints in 2025, representing a 19 per cent increase compared with the previous year.

Days before Fujimori's visit, Peruvian authorities conducted raids targeting illegal telecommunications equipment around prisons that was being used to provide inmates with internet access.

Bukele's security crackdown has significantly reduced gang violence in El Salvador, although his methods have faced criticism from human rights organisations.

Rights groups have documented thousands of alleged arbitrary arrests under the country's state of exception.

Fujimori also invited Bukele to visit Peru as the two governments moved to strengthen cooperation on security and other areas.

Demonstrators marched towards Congress to demand that lawmakers reject the government's request, but police blocked them from reaching the building.

Protesters were chanting, "We are on the streets because of the government" and "The people united will never be defeated".

Officers used shields to push demonstrators back onto the pavements. Protesters alleged that police also used pepper spray and tear gas.

The government has requested legislative powers covering eight major areas through 66 proposals, including public security and measures related to the El Nino phenomenon. Congress has been debating the request.

Unions fear the powers could be used to cut workers' benefits, including holidays, overtime and Compensation for Time of Service (CTS).

Juan Carlos Solis, a member of the CAS workers' union at the Ministry of Education, warned that the request could also lead to job losses similar to those experienced during the government of Alberto Fujimori, the current president's father.

"We are the children of parents who were dismissed in the 1990s precisely because of delegations like this," he said.

"And what do these wretches do, who do not care to defend us from the crime we have in Peru? They fire tear gas at us, they push women, comrades, elderly people," Solis added.

Elizabeth Perez Zuniga, leader of the National Union of State Sector Unions, alleged that police struck her as she was leaving the area.

"The police, without a bit of respect, hit me with the shield on the back. They sprayed pepper spray, pepper spray, and I was choking," she claimed.

Mayllorid Clotilde Flores Suarez, Secretary-General of the CAS Workers' Union at the Ministry of Education , warned that granting the powers could affect workers and the country's natural resources.

"What they are seeking is to undermine matters linked to labour rights, and they are also seeking to continue the extractivist model, for example, to destroy areas where there are forests, animals, flora and fauna," she said.

Fujimori said on Tuesday that her government would take measures against organised crime "with or without legislative powers" and questioned why Congress had taken four weeks to respond to the request. Her criticism of the delay and the focus on crime were also reported following her visit to Ica.

At the same time, the Constitution Commission of the Chamber of Deputies was considering the government's request. Lawmakers had previously called for greater precision on several areas covered by the proposal.

President Keiko Fujimori led the drill from Lima's Plaza de Armas, presenting a hypothetical assessment of nearly 11,000 deaths, more than 165,000 injuries and around 2.2 million displaced people .

"If this had been real, this would be the report I would have to give," Fujimori said, stressing that the figures were part of the simulation and calling for continued disaster preparedness.

INDECI official Catherine Palacios said the exercise also marked 19 years since the 2007 Pisco earthquake. Fire Brigade official Marcos Pajuelo said the drill was aimed at testing emergency preparedness amid concerns over the prolonged period without a major earthquake along Peru's central coast.

According to the Geophysical Institute of Peru, the area has not experienced a large-magnitude earthquake since 1746, while seismic energy continues to accumulate due to the convergence of the Nazca and South American tectonic plates.

Protesters marched from Plaza Dos de Mayo towards Congress, carrying banners and chanting slogans in defence of job security .

Unions argue that some measures proposed by the government could weaken labour rights and lead to more precarious working conditions.

"What is being attempted is a labour reform that cuts labour rights and creates precarious work," said Geronimo Lopez, Secretary-General of the General Confederation of Workers of Peru.

Among the main concerns raised by unions are the protection of CTS (Compensation for Time of Service), holidays, bonuses and job security.

Gilmer Meza, Secretary-General of the Unitary Union of Education Workers of Peru, said teachers joined the demonstration as a warning to the new government .

"We teachers who are here mobilised today also support workers from different organisations, demanding respect for workers' holidays, respect for bonuses," the secretary argued.

During her inaugural address, Fujimori announced an increase in the Minimum Living Wage to 1,300 soles. However, the CGTP has questioned the increase being tied to an agreement with the business sector.

The union says employers have previously postponed updates to the minimum wage.

"Today we have come out precisely to say, 'keep your word'; issue the Supreme Decree at once ordering the wage rise to 1,300," Lopez added.

Workers at the demonstration said they would oppose any reforms they believe would roll back their labour rights.

Demonstrators, escorted by police, carried banners reading "Keiko, you are going to fall" and "Peru no longer wants rats, Fujimori never again." Outside the Palace of Justice, protesters also symbolically washed Peruvian flags.

The march brought together relatives of people killed during anti-government protests in 2022 and 2023 under former president Dina Boluarte, activists, members of social organisations and defeated presidential candidate Roberto Sanchez, who continues to reject the election result.

Raul Samillan, representative of the National Organisation of Relatives of the Murdered and Victims of the 2022-2023 Massacres, said the demonstration was aimed at rejecting what he described as a government of continuity.

"We are here in the capital, once again, to reject this government of continuity of Mrs Keiko Fujimori, because they are the ones who ordered the killings and caused all these wounds in our regions," he said.

Protester Giovana Mendoza criticised Fujimori's inaugural address, saying it did not reflect the country's reality.

"It is a setback for our country, to go back to those years we lived through in the 90s. So many killings, so many massacres, so many disappearances, forced sterilisations, among others. That is Mrs Keiko Fujimori," she declared.

Mendoza said the symbolic washing of the national flag represented the suffering endured by victims and their families.

"We have just finished washing our flag, a flag that was dirty from so much gunpowder from the police and military who have soiled the flag. We have also washed the flag because it was stained with so much blood from our relatives who have been killed and also from the survivors," she added.

Fujimori assumed the presidency after defeating Roberto Sanchez in June by fewer than 50,000 votes. During her inaugural speech, she pledged a tough approach to crime and promised to strengthen Peru's regional partnerships and expand cooperation with countries in the Middle East .

In her first address as head of state, Fujimori said her administration would use every constitutional measure available to restore security in areas affected by criminal organisations.

"During states of emergency, the Armed Forces will temporarily assume leadership of security operations and internal control in close coordination with the National Police, until the authority of the State is fully restored and those territories are returned to the citizens," she said.

She also vowed to reclaim public spaces from criminal groups.

Fujimori pledged to recover "every neighborhood, every highway, every public space for Peruvian families."

The president announced plans to strengthen public security through a nationwide video surveillance network, artificial intelligence platforms designed to predict and map criminal activity, upgraded communications systems and faster emergency response centres.

"The fight will not be only against the common criminal. We will go after the national and international mafias that finance extortion, contract killing, drug trafficking, and illegal mining," she declared.

On foreign policy, Fujimori said Peru would deepen regional cooperation through the Pacific Alliance with Chile, Colombia and Mexico, while working to revive the Andean Community.

"Our interest is to redouble the ties of cooperation and joint regional work with the always welcome participation of Spain in promoting friendship and the common interests of Ibero-America," she told Congress.

She also pledged to strengthen Peru's role within the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and pursue new investment and cooperation opportunities in the Middle East.

Fujimori said Peru's location positioned the country to serve as a bridge between those markets and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Turning to the economy, she promised to accelerate public and private investment in roads, airports, ports and essential services, including water, electricity, telephone networks and internet access.

She said the investments would help reduce the social deficit "that affects millions of Peruvians."

Describing the country as being at a "complex and painful" moment, Fujimori said she was inheriting a state weakened by corruption and thousands of delayed or poorly executed projects.

"I have not come to offer immediate miracles or empty promises. I have come to offer method, discipline, perseverance, and a clear path," she concluded.

Fujimori also pledged measurable goals and continuous accountability throughout her 1,826-day presidential term.