Peru Guerrilla Growing Stronger, Former Top Cop Says

[Flaneur]

Source: Latin American Herald Tribune

LIMA – The Shining Path guerrilla group “is increasingly improving its firepower” in the Valley of the Apurimac and Ene rivers, known as the VRAE region and considered Peru’s principal cocaine-producing area, the former chief of the counter-terrorism police said.

Gen. Marcos Miyashiro, one of the key men involved in the 1992 capture of Shining Path founder Abimael Guzman, made the comment in an interview published Sunday by the daily La Republica. The expansion of the guerrilla group’s firepower explains “why they dare to directly attack the military bases located in the VRAE,” where more than 40 soldiers have died in ambushes and attacks staged by the Shining Path in recent months, the retired general said.

The current incarnation of the Shining Path in the VRAE is not the same as the group that launched its armed struggle against the Peruvian state nearly 30 years ago, with the main difference being that the organization’s current leader, “Comrade Jose,” limits attacks to the security forces, establishing links to local people instead of murdering them, Miyashiro said.

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“For the people of the VRAE, who mainly work in drug trafficking and related activities, Shining Path is their protector. That is why they do not cooperate with us, because we are trying to put an end to that protector,” the retired general said.

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Read more: http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=347059&CategoryId=14095

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I've been to the VRAE. Except for the occasional soldier, the Peruvian state is absent.

You can grow coca legally in Peru and sell it to ENACO, the state coca monopoly. But coca farmer union leaders in the VRAE told me that only 10,000 of the 40,000 coca growers are registered with ENACO and thus legal. But, of course, nobody knows anybody that is selling coca destined to be turned into cocaine.

[Uncle Joe]

1. The best counter-insurgency strategy would be to quit waging war against the people

via the insane war against their livelihood; aka War Against some Drugs and by government condoning of monopolies.

Thanks for the thread, Flaneur.

[Flaneur]

2. Prohibition profits buy lots of guns and trouble everywhere.

The Shining Path in Peru.

The FARC and the paramilitaries in Colombia.

The "cartel wars" in Mexico.

The criminal "commands" in Rio de Janeiro.

The Taliban in Afghanistan (and let's not forget Karzai's brother and other government-affiliated traffickers, either).

Gangbangers on the streets of US cities.

The United Wa States Army in Burma.

Wanna suck the air out of criminal gangs and insurgent armies? Legalize the drug trade.

[Uncle Joe]

3. The two motivations preventing that from happening are greed and the lust for power.

"Wanna suck the air out of criminal gangs and insurgent armies? Legalize the drug trade."

[L. Coyote]

7. The arms and munitions industries are more powerful and connected.

[David__77]

4. There is no single "Sendero."

The PCP (Sendero) split into multiple groups back in 1993. One, under the command still of Abimael Guzman, was made up largely of imprisoned cadre. Now, most of them are free are they are preparing to participate in local elections soon.

Another claims to follow Guzman, but are armed and in the Alto Huallaga. They would disarm in exchange for amnesty, but none is offered.

The third is in the VRAE, and condemns Guzman and claims the war between 1980-1992 was needlessly attacking innocents. They represent the biggest danger, because they have some support from the people there. I expect they will expand into Ayacucho generally in the coming couple years. The ground is fertile for another insurgency.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Didn't know this 'til seeing your post. Very helpful. Thanks. n/t

[Flaneur]

6. Yeah, this is Comrade Jose and his bunch.

I think the guy up in the Alto Huallaga is Comrade Artemio? Armando?

I wasn't aware any of the formerly imprisoned Senderistas was heading down the electoral path. I wonder if they'll make common cause with that guy who just about won the presidency. Humala?

[David__77]

8. Yes, Amtemio is in the Alto Huallaga.

And he was formerly in the camp of "continuing the war." Then, reportedly, he had a conversation by radio with Guzman, facilitated by the intelligence service, wherein he was convinced to "fight for a peace accord" by Guzman. Since then, they've been avoiding armed conflict, and want to negotiate.

Elena Iparraguirre, Guzman's fiance and imprisoned second in command for the pro-Guzman group, announced the electoral effort under the name "Communist Party of Peru." A government official said they would be allowed to participate. They would NOT ally with Humala, and in fact one faction (I don't remember which) heralded Garcia's victory over him, as they surmised this would lead to the decay of the old state, whereas Humala, who fought them while in the military, would create more illusions among the people. They certainly have experience winning elections for student bodies, street vendor groups, and unions (teachers in particular), so we'll see what happens. Their vote could be a small but important protest vote. They never, ever, had anything like majority support, even in their base in Ayacucho, but they did have support from an important layer of extremely poor, lumpen elements.