LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peru’s defense and foreign ministers resigned Wednesday following an announcement by the country's interim president to defer the decision on a $3.5 billion deal for U.S. F-16 fighter jets to his successor who will emerge from a presidential runoff vote in June.
Last week, interim President José María Balcázar said he lacks the legitimacy as a temporary leader to make the commitment to buy 24 fighter jets manufactured by U.S.-based Lockheed Martin and that his successor should make the decision.
“For us to commit such a large sum of money to the incoming government would be a poor practice for a transitional government,” Balcázar said at the time.
U.S. Ambassador Bernie Navarro reacted to the announcement, saying on X that if Peru “negotiates in bad faith” or undermines U.S. interests, he would take measures at his disposal. He did not elaborate.
On Wednesday, both Defense Minister Carlos Díaz and Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela stepped down.
Díaz's resignation letter, obtained by The Associated Press, said that postponing the purchase “could compromise" Peru's interests. Both ministers said at a news conference that they had unsuccessfully tried to persuade Balcázar to follow through on the deal.
Díaz said that even without Balcázar's approval, officials from the Ministry of Defense signed the contract on Monday for the purchase of the aircraft, as stipulated under the deal.
Speaking to a local radio station, de Zela accused Balcázar of misleading the public about the contract. Díaz noted that specific details of the deal remain undisclosed because of their classified nature.
In 2024, the government of then-President Dina Boluarte announced that Peru would allocate $3.5 billion to the purchase of 24 fighter jets through domestic borrowing of $2 billion in 2025 and $1.5 billion in 2026. Among the companies that submitted bids were, in addition to Lockheed Martin, the Swedish Saab and the French Dassault Aviation.
Peru’s Congress in February elected Balcázar as the country’s eighth president in a decade, replacing another interim leader who was ousted the previous day over corruption allegations just four months into his term.
Peru is holding a presidential runoff on June 7 even as votes are still being counted and officials are sifting through tally sheets arriving from remote areas and Peruvian consulates abroad following the first round on April 12.
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
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FILE - Interim President Jose Maria Balcazar speaks to reporters upon arriving at the presidential palace after he was appointed by lawmakers, in Lima, Peru, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerardo Marin, File)
NAHUNTA, Ga. (AP) — Wildfires burning across the southeastern U.S. forced more people to flee Wednesday after destroying nearly 50 homes in Georgia and causing some schools closings as drought and winds fueled flames.
Some of the biggest blazes were near Georgia’s coast while others were popping up in northern Florida, a state facing one of its worst fire seasons in decades.
It was not yet clear how the wildfires started, but the bottom half of Georgia is perilously dry and the conditions prompted the state's forestry commission to issue a burn ban for the first time in its history. Southeastern Georgia has seen just 11 inches (28 centimeters) of rain since the beginning of September — almost 15 inches (38 centimeters) below normal, the National Weather Service said.
The fires spread so quickly in southern Georgia that residents received no warnings or alerts.
“I wish that I had knew something more,” said Brianna Elliott, who left home Tuesday only to find her route back blocked by the fires 90 minutes later. “I would have turned around in that moment and gone home and got my animals before anything.”
She now fears that her home and her dogs are gone.
Georgia’s two biggest wildfires together have burned more than 31 square miles (80 square kilometers), and at least four other smaller fires have been reported in the state.
The fast-moving Brantley County fire was threatening roughly 1,000 homes Wednesday after destroying almost 50 a day earlier.
That fire grew in size by roughly six times in just a half day Tuesday, said Joey Cason, the county manager. There were fires erupting “in the backyard and people taking off in the front yard,” he said Wednesday.
So far, no major injuries have been reported, Cason said.
The rural county is roughly midway between Georgia's coastal beaches and the Okefenokee Swamp and is dotted with livestock and fruit farms as well as thick stands of planted pines grown for timber.
Crews were working to create fire breaks and stop flames from reaching populated areas. The biggest concern was the gusting winds that could easily spread embers.
Authorities said rain was desperately needed. The area with the worst fires is in exceptional or extreme drought, the most dire levels, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
“If you could start praying for that right now, we’d be grateful,” Cason said.
Pine and hardwood forests in the region are helping charge the fires, said Seth Hawkins, a spokesperson for the Georgia Forestry Commission. Swampy lowlands with thick layers of leaves and woody debris are “super flammable” when they dry out, he said.
The commission's 30-day burn ban is for the southern part of the state.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency Wednesday for more than half of the state's counties.
Brantley County Sheriff Len Davis warned residents to be ready to evacuate because the winds could shift rapidly and unexpectedly.
More people were told to evacuate Wednesday afternoon, on top of the 800 evacuations that had already taken place in the county. Five shelters have opened, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said.
A large fire that started in Clinch County also prompted evacuations.
In Florida, firefighters were battling 131 wildfires that had burned 34 square miles (88 square kilometers), mostly in the state’s northern half.
“Florida has got one of the worst fire seasons in maybe the last 30 or 40 years or it’s turning out to be that way,” Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson said. “We’ve been in drought for 18 months now all across the state.”
A wildfire disrupted Amtrak train service Monday in the northeast part of the state. Service was back to normal Wednesday, according to Amtrak spokeswoman Beth Toll.
A dangerous combination of low humidity and breezy winds will keep the fire danger elevated Wednesday, the National Weather Service said.
Smoke drifted to Atlanta, Savannah, Georgia, and Jacksonville, Florida. The air quality in parts of south Georgia declined to the unhealthy category Wednesday, meaning all residents might feel health effects.
Smoky conditions were expected to linger throughout the Atlanta area on Wednesday, according to the Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency. The worst fires were burning more than 200 miles (322 kilometers) southeast of the city.
The high fire risk was expected to continue each afternoon through Friday due to the very dry conditions, the weather service said.
Martin reported from Atlanta. Associated Press reporters Jeff Amy and Kate Brumback in Atlanta, Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida, and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed.
Fire trucks are staged outside the command center in Nahunta, Ga., where officials are coordinating the fight against a wildfire Wednesday, April 22, 2026.(AP Photo/Russ Bynum)
This image taken from a WSVN video a wildfire burning Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Broward County, Fla. (WSVN/ABC Miami via AP)
This image taken from a WSVN video a wildfire burning Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Broward County, Fla. (WSVN/ABC Miami via AP)
This image taken from a WSVN video shows firefighters battling a wildfire Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Broward County, Fla. (WSVN/ABC Miami via AP)
