Chile's Boric slams 'terrorist' violence in rural south in rhetorical shift

Chilean President Gabriel Boric walks with an army member while arriving in Araucania region, in Temuco, Chile, November 10, 2022. Fernando Ramirez/Chile Presidency/Handout via REUTERS

SANTIAGO(Reuters) - Chile's President Gabriel Boric condemned "terrorist" violence during a visit to the country's restive southern region on Thursday, a rhetorical shift for the leader who had pledged to focus on dialogue with indigenous local Mapuche groups and eschew former President Sebastian Pinera's militarization of the region.

Several arson attacks and blockades took place early Thursday morning ahead of his visit to the Araucania region, where Mapuche groups have been demanding the return of ancestral lands for years. Trucks and trains have been attacked.