President orders curfew in capital

Colombian President Ivan Duque ordered a curfew in the nation’s capital yesterday amid continuing unrest following a massive march a day before that brought tens of thousands to the streets in a strong message of rejection against his conservative government.

The president said he was invoking the rarely used measure to contain ongoing clashes between police and demonstrators in the city of 7 million, shortly after officers pushed back thick crowds of protesters banging pots and pans in the Plaza Bolivar.

‘‘They kicked us out with tear gas,’’ said Rogelio Martinez, 38, a construction worker. ‘‘They didn’t want the people to show their discontent.’’

The curfew comes a day after an estimated 250,000 people took to the streets in one of the nation’s biggest marches in recent history. While the protest started out peacefully, it ended with scattered skirmishes between protesters and police. Three people were killed in what authorities described as violent looting incidents overnight.

‘‘One thing is a peaceful expression through protest,’’ Duque said. ‘‘Another very different thing is to take advantage of the protest to sow chaos.’’

The upheaval takes place as Latin America is experiencing a tide of discontent, with large demonstrations in countries including Chile, Bolivia and Ecuador where citizens frustrated with their political leaders are taking to the streets.

The protests defy easy categorisation and it remains unclear if Colombia’s will persist.

In an attempt to quell the anger, Duque also announced that he will open a ‘‘national conversation’’ throughout the country next week aimed at finding medium and long-term solutions to deeply entrenched issues like inequality and corruption. –