The Guerillas of Peru

by David R. Huff

The Guerillas of Peru

by David R. Huff

The guerrilla wars of South America have received little attention from the media until very recently. Most of the guerrilla movements can be traced to the mid-1960s during the heyday of the Cuban inspired insurrections lead by Che Guevera. After the death of Che, the South American guerrilla movements fractionated along two basic ideological lines. The Maoists and the Marxist-Leninists. However, they share a common method of financing their efforts, collection of taxes from the druglords.

In Peru, the primary armed guerrilla forces are, the Shining Path (Maoists) and the MRTA, a.k.a. the Tupac Amaru (Marxist- Leninists). A smaller Organization operates on the border of Peru and Bolivia, the EGKT, a.k.a. Tupac Katari. The Tupac Katari are the remnants of the original Bolivian Insurgents trained by Che Guevera. So far the Tupac Katari have confined their operations to Bolivia.

The Shining Path and the Tupac Amaru can trace their beginnings to the Communist Party of Peru (PCP), founded in 1930 in Lima, Peru. Both organizations began armed attacks in Peru in 1984, but that is where the similarities end. Frequently the Shining Path and Tupac Amaru have attacked each other in the eastern areas of Peru known as the Huallaga Valley. Both sides need the continual flow of "taxes" from the coca druglords.

The militant Maoist Shining Path organization was founded by Abimael Guzman. Current active membership is 2,000 known. Guzman was captured by Peruvian Special Forces in Lima in 1993. Shining Path is the most active and best armed of the Peruvian Insurgent Organizations. Armed mostly with PRC and DPRK weaponry, Shining Path Guerrillas have ranged from attacks on Western Embassies to engaging main forces of the Peruvian Army. From 1984 to the present Shining Path attacks have accounted for 30,000 of the 35,000 total dead from guerrilla attacks. The Shining Path Organization regards the smaller Tupac Amaru organization as a traitor to Communism. This stems from a Tupac Amaru Conference held in Ecuador in 1994. The Tupac Amaru Organization made contact with US sympathizers for funding at the Ecuador Conference. The Shining Path Guerrillas remain a viable, but weakened force due to 2 factors. The 1990 implementation of DEA/US Forces in Peru plan to destroy the coca fields and interdict drug shipments. The Iquitos base of operations was key to controlling the drug routes. In 1992, a major shift in Peruvian Army Tactics combined with the Second Term Election of President Fujimori led to more effective direct attacks on the Shining Path's Leadership Infrastructure. Direct urban attacks and main force engagements waned after the loss of key leadership in 1993. It fell to the Tupac Amaru to conduct a major surprise attack in 1996 on the Japanese Embassy in Lima, Peru.

The MRTA/Tupac Amaru movement originated in Peru's Leftist Labor Organizations, which were controlled by the PCP. The Tupac Amaru was founded by Victor Polay, the college roommate of a former President of Peru, in 1972. Polay was an educated member of the established middle class. The name Tupac Amaru came from a native Peruvian, who led an uprising against the Spanish Colonials during the 1700s. One of his tactics was to rob from wealthy the wealthy Dons and give money to the Indians He was executed for his efforts. Originally founded on mainly Cuban Revolutionary Principles, MRTA, remained mostly a Labor Union Movement until a crackdown in 1984. The home territory for Tupac Maru is the Upper Huallaga Valley. Nominal active membership is about 425, at its apex it was 600. The Tupac Maru favored fast Commando Style attacks, prior to 1992. The most dramatic was the 1990 tunneling into Peru's maximum security prison, Canto Grande to liberate Polay and 50 Tupac Amaru Rebels. The Raid was led by the now Commander of the Tupac Amaru, who captured the Japanese Embassy in 1996. June 1992 the key leadership of Tupac Amaru was recaptured, Polay and his lieutenant Peter Cardenas. In November 1996, the organization lost another key leader, the Second in Command, Miguel Rincon, a.k.a. Francisco. A new leader with a very different background assumed command and changed Tupac Amaru's tactics. Nestor Cerpa Cartolini, a.k.a. Comandante Evaristo, now commands the Guerrilla Force holding the Japanese Embassy at Lima, Peru.

Comandante Evaristo began his revolutionary career in 1976 as a union official. His union defied the owners of a bankrupt textile factory by an armed take over. Four died in the ensuing police action. Cerpa spent a year in prison, where he met other revolutionaries. Over the years Cerpa earned a reputation for eluding capture, 7 times successfully. Cerpa was the Tupac Amaru representative at the 1994 Ecuador Conference. He met with the American, Helene Berenson. In 1995 Cerpa barely escaped capture in Lima, Peru, but Ms. Berenson did not. She is now serving a life sentence in Peru for Treason. The Cerpa set in motion the most daring attack in Tupac Maru History, the liberation of the organization's key leadership.

December 1996, Comandante Evaristo with 20 heavily armed comrades took the Japanese Embassy. As of this writing they still hold the Embassy. The Robin Hood Era of the Peruvian MRTA Guerrillas had come to an end.

Recent major increases in DEA and USAF military presence in Iquitos, Peru indicate Peru's Fujimori is not inclined to give in to guerrilla demands. The Shining Path Guerrillas are yet to be heard from. They may join their brothers in arms, now active in Colombia and Venezuela. The days of Tupac Amaru are numbered.

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