Peru's mining south, rocked by violence, braces for 'endless battle'

FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators clash with security forces during a protest demanding early elections and the release of jailed former President Pedro Castillo, near the Juliaca airport, in Juliaca, Peru January 9, 2023. REUTERS/Hugo Courotto NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY/File Photo

LIMA (Reuters) - In Peru's south, a mining region that has been roiled by deadly protests over the ouster of former leftist President Pedro Castillo, protest leaders say they are ready for an "endless battle" against the government, threatening to destabilize the deeply divided Andean nation.

Seventeen protesters were killed on Monday in the southern province of Puno in the worst day of violence since Castillo's Dec. 7 dramatic removal, which has seen a total of 39 people killed in protests and seven more in related accidents.